October 9, 2014 Revelation Chapter 9

Revelation Chapter 9

Originally posted Friday December 19, 2008

Revelation, Chapter 9:1-11 The Fifth Trumpet

The fifth woe is directed at the people of the earth with an instruction that neither grass nor trees nor any other green growth are to be harmed. The image used in this vision - the morning or day star, is drawn from the ancient Canaanite mythology of Shahar (the brilliant one), son of Dawn (Day Star) and an early Jewish Midrash (interpretation and commentary) on Gen. 6:1-4. It is used in Isa. 14:12-20 where the king of Babylon is mocked for his aspiring to the divine throne but ends up being cast into the pit (abyss) of Sheol. Isaiah taunts the king saying, "How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star." The falling star imagery is used in LK. 10:18 where Jesus says, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightening." 2nd Pet. 2:4 uses the Genesis story of the fallen angels who were cast into hell (hell, abyss and pit are all synonymous) where they are to be kept in chains in the deepest darkness awaiting judgment. A number of Jewish Apocryphal and Apocalyptic writings use the mythology of the angels who corrupted humanity and were imprisoned in the abyss. Adding to this the Old Testament and Jewish traditional identification of angels with stars (Job 38:7), we can see the combined ideas of a fallen angel and the abyss (bottomless pit) in John's vision.

The star/angel that had fallen from heaven was given a key to the shaft leading to the abyss. That the key was given demonstrates God's involvement in this and all parts of the judgment visions. Judgment belongs to God and each woe occurs only with God's permission. With the key the fallen angel opened the shaft and out poured black smoke as if from a "great furnace" (Joel 2:2, 10) darkening (and polluting!) the air and blocking the light of the sun.  Emerging from the opened pit and black smoke were massive swarms of demonic locusts spreading over the earth (Exod. 10:4). Their powers have been under control while in the pit but now they are given the authority of scorpions - to torture with their sting from which there is no escape. Their task is the tormenting of human beings who did not have the seal of God (7:3) but they are not to kill them. They are not to "damage the grass, any green growth or any trees." The locusts will be allowed to torment and torture for five months.

John has given a vivid description of the locusts. They are equipped with the protective equipment worn by horses going into battle and with scaled armor. They are wearing golden crowns (a parody of the martyrs in heaven), have human faces; hair like that of a woman (long) and lions' teeth. They make the noise of many horse drawn chariots charging into battle and have tails with scorpion-like stingers. This vast horde has a king over them, the angel of the abyss (bottomless pit). John give's this king's name in Hebrew and in Greek. The Hebrew word "Abhaddon" means "destruction" and is often translated as bottomless pit as in John Milton's Paradise Lost. It is occasionally personified as a reference to Satan. The Greek "Apollyon" means destroyer.

That Abhaddon is a king provides a connection between John's vision and the actual situation being experienced by the churches. The word for king - "basileus" is also used in the New Testament and elsewhere for the Roman Emperor, an important key for understanding some of the later symbolism of Revelation. For John the Roman Emperor is destruction personified. The Greek word Apollyon is from the root "to destroy utterly" and is also a frequent synonym for the Devil. Here it serves as a not so subtle and deliberate reference to the Greek and Roman god Apollo. Apollo just happened to be the divine name adopted and used by the Emperor Domitian, the real villain in Revelation. Also of interest is that the locust was a symbol of Apollo. While some Emperors did not take seriously their being divine, Domitian did and required his subjects to speak of and consider him as divine. To refuse could result in execution.

Revelation, Chapter 9:13-21 The Sixth Trumpet

With the blowing of the sixth trumpet John hears a voice from the four horns of the heavenly golden altar which stands before God. The altar is probably the gold covered altar of incense which stood in the outer portion of the temple sanctuary and not the altar of burnt offering. It is described in Exod. 30:1ff and37:5 as having four horns, one on each corner, covered with gold. In pre-temple Israel there were a number of holy sanctuaries - such as Bethel, Schechem, Dan and Beersheba, all having altars. A number of sites were classified as safe locations and a person who had accidentally killed a person could flee to the related sanctuary and take hold of the horns of the altar pleading for sanctuary (Exod. 21:13-14; 1 Kings 1:50-51, 2:28-34).

The voice from the horns of the altar tells the sixth angel who had blown the trumpet to release four fallen angels who had been chained at the Euphrates River, apparently in preparation for this precise moment. The purpose of the release is to kill a third of humankind. The instrument of this massive massacre will be like the feared Parthians of 6:1-2 in a greatly expanded and demonic cavalry of 200 million. This demonic cavalry charging from the east, across the Euphrates, are not riding normal horses. They are of various colors with heads like lions heads, breathing out "fire and smoke and sulfur. This is but one of the three plagues delivered by the horses, added to the horses' jaws and a serpent-like tail with a number of heads capable of inflicting death.

Keeping in mind that in Revelation  judgment is aimed at the Roman Empire in general and its inhabitants who practice idolatry (and persecute Christians), we understand his words regarding those who were not killed yet, despite the plagues, did not repent. Their continued rebellion against God, as John sees it, has been confirmed. They are powerless to resist the onslaughts released against them but, like Egypt's Pharaoh they have become more entrenched in resistance. They continue to worship demons and stone and wood idols and refuse to repent of their ungodly acts and turn to God.

We should remember that John's visions are aimed at the churches. They not only speak to the realities of persecution and death among the churches, they are meant as warnings to those who are flirting with the disaster of idolatry. A people under persecution will be sorely tempted to allow themselves a little accommodation with paganism, forgetting that a little is as ungodly as a lot. One step into the temple of Apollo or one offering to the divine Emperor may not seem like a big deal but in John's vision it is absolutely deadly. Addiction comes one step at a time until the footprints are no longer visible.

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Note:

As a bit of trivia, another symbol for Apollo was the snake. The Roman historian Suetonius, in his Life of Augustus, reports the tradition that Augustus' mother Atia, the niece of the deified Julius Caesar, went to a "solemn service" in Apollo's temple in the middle of the night. She fell asleep and as she slept a serpent slithered up to her briefly and then left. Nine months later Augustus was born - the divine son of Apollo.

October 8, 2014 Revelation Chapter 8

Revelation Chapter 8

Originally posted Thursday December 18, 2008

Revelation, Chapter 8: 1-6, The Seventh Seal and the Golden Censer

With the opening of the final seal silence fills heaven for thirty minutes (Ps. 46:10; Zech. 2:13). A good example of silence in heaven preceding judgment is found in the Jewish apocalyptic book, 4 Ezra 7:30-31, "And the world shall be turned back to primeval silence for seven days, as it was at the first beginnings." The opened seal does not, on its own, result in more earthly devastation. Instead it reveals the presence of seven angels standing before God, each angel to receive a trumpet. It will be at the blowing of these trumpets that the eschatological woes continue. Like incense on the Temple Sanctuary altar, trumpets were part of the ceremonial gatherings of Israel (2nd Chron. 5:12-13). They were heard on the great feast days of the Israelites as well as for marking the New Year, the coronation of the king and as a call to arms (Joel 12:1). In the prophets we read of the association of the trumpet call with the great eschatological Day of the Lord and judgment (Isa.27:13).

As a prelude to the blowing of the trumpets, another angel appeared and stood before the altar. This angel was holding a golden censer into which a large quantity of incense was placed. The censer was one of the fixtures in the Jerusalem Temple. On the Day of Atonement burning coals from the "altar of burnt offering" would be placed in the golden censer (shaped like a large bowl) and taken into the Holy of Holies. There it was placed on the golden altar (Exod. 30:1-9) and Incense was thrown on the coals so that the sanctuary would be filled with a fragrant cloud representing the prayers of Israel (Lev. 16:12,13). In modern times Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches use a container of burning incense swung on a chain as part of the ritual. In the vision the smoke with the prayers of praise and thanksgiving as well as the needs and feelings of "all the saints" rose before God from the angel's hand. John's vision encourages the readers and hearers of Revelation that their prayers do come before God. They are not lost in the speaking. Although we do not know the content of these early prayers, in the worship gathering of a persecuted people they would certainly include a version of what we call the Lord's prayer in which the predominate theme is the petition for God's kingdom to be realized "on earth as it is in heaven." With this vision assurance is given that this prayer will be answered and soon but not without more eschatological woes. The churches of John's circle will realize the kingdom by going through these woes, not by escaping them.

The worshipful calm of incense burning on the golden altar turns the vision back to terror. The angel fills the censer with fire and throws it on the earth to the accompaniment of thunder, rumblings, lightening and earthquake, all features of a theophany - the presence of God (4:5). The list of these phenomena is common in Revelation and other apocalypses to convey that this is God's judgment being visited upon the earth. With the completion of the rain of fire the seven angels are ready to begin the sequence of blowing their trumpets which will release a new series of disasters more intense than those of the opening of the first six seals. Again we are reminded that these are not predictions of actual future events. They are, along with events already presented and those yet to come, symbolic of the persecution and even death of Christians in the real world which must occur before God's final victory. These woes are always understood in conjunction with the exhortation to persevere in faith and to do battle with the temptation to commit spiritual adultery by "cozying up" to idolatry and the immorality it promotes. As we read each of these woes we will notice their closeness to the plagues God visits upon Egypt - fire and hail, sea turned to blood, etc. The association is deliberate for the Exodus story is one of God's deliverance of God's chosen. Revelation is the story of God's deliverance of the new Israel. Both are people of the promise: Israel is given the Promised Land; the church is given the kingdom of God.

Revelation, Chapter 8:7-13 The Seven Trumpets

Trumpet Woe #1 - a rain of hail and fire mixed with blood (Exod. 9:23-25, 7:20; Ezek. 5:2, 38:22) is hurled on the earth, burning up a third of the earth and trees along with all of the green grass. Some may be tempted to apply mathematics to determine the extent of damage on the earth. Questions arise regarding whether this woe destroys one third of the remainder after the one fourth of 6:8. Apocalyptic imagery does not lend itself to numerical calculations. The change to one third is simply an indication of the increase in intensity not the square miles of destruction. We should not expect a consistent pattern in images. What gets destroyed in one passage may show up as whole in a later passage (compare the grass burning of 8:7 with 9:4). John has a large store of available apocalyptic images from which to draw.

Trumpet Woe #2 - Something like a large burning mountain is thrown into the sea. (This may have been drawn from the violent eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. As such it could be a metaphor for Rome built on seven hills.) A third of the sea became blood (Exod. 7:20; Zech. 13:8, 9); a third of all sea creatures died; a third of all ships were destroyed. There is no particular meaning to this disaster beyond adding to the ongoing tribulation that affects everyone on earth.

Trumpet Woe #3 - A large, blazing star (Isa. 14:12) falls on a third of the rivers and springs. This fiery star is named "Wormwood" and it contaminated the water, causing many to die (Exod. 15:23; Lam. 3:15). Wormwood is an aromatic herb with a very bitter taste. While it is used in the cordial absinthe, its oil can be a narcotic poison (Jer. 9:15, 23:15).

Trumpet Woe #4 - The sun, moon and stars are struck "so that a third of their light was darkened," causing a third of the day and the night to be without light (Exod. 10:21; Isa. 13:10; Amos 8:9). (In Exodus Egypt is "struck" with plagues.)

The first four woes are separated from the last three with John's vision of the eagle soaring in mid-heaven (one of the four living creatures of 4:7 was a flying eagle). Mid-heaven is the middle of the sky. The word for eagle is often translated as vulture. The image takes on an ominous presence as a vulture circling in the sky over the dead bodies on earth. The vulture serves as an alarm "crying with a loud voice its warning of the impending three trumpet blasts. This is a sign of what will be an intensification of the woes, as if the first four were not sufficiently terrible.

October 7, 2014 Revelation Chapter 7

Revelation Chapter 7

Originally posted Wednesday December 17, 2008

Revelation, Chapter 7:1-8, The 144,000 of Israel Sealed

There were seven seals to be opened by the lamb. We have read of six and the resulting series of cataclysmic events. The earth was ravaged by the four horsemen of the apocalypse with war, civil strife and anarchy, economic collapse, pestilence and the dissolution of the cosmos. At the end the world is cowering in fear of the "great day of wrath" that has come upon it. All that is left is the opening of the seventh seal which will usher in the Parousia, resurrection, judgment and final salvation for the righteous or condemnation for the rest of humanity. Judgment is complete. Or is it? In a skillful literary turn John pauses. He creates an intermission in the unfolding drama which he will resume in chapter 8. Instead of breaking the seventh seal he writes his vision of the sealing (identifying) of the faithful "servants of (faithful to) God." The emphasis is on the symbolically large numbers of those to be sealed from the twelve tribes of Israel and the uncountable multitude from every nation of the world gathering to worship God and the Lamb. For now his vision is not more carnage; it is the sealing of God's servants, the church universal. If we were one of the many churches experiencing persecution we might believe we were alone and insignificant, meeting in houses, harassed and despised by their neighbors. What John wants to portray is the larger church of which his readers are a part, working together to serve God's purpose of salvation in the world.

In the interlude John sees the four angels who control the winds at the four corners of the earth (Ezek. 7:2, 37:9; Zech. 6:5). They have been given the power to unleash the winds against the earth, sea and trees. At the same time he sees another angel. This angel is rising from the morning sun and has the seal of God. With a loud shout of authority he orders the four angels to hold back the winds until he has marked the foreheads of the servants of God with God's seal (see Ezek. 9:4-5). The typical use of "seal" in the New Testament is a reference to the favor of God (Eph. 1:13, 4:30; 2 Cor. 1:22). It was a metaphor for the believers' baptism by which the believer became marked by the Holy Spirit as belonging to God. As such it has implications relating to the return of Christ who collects together those who are sealed. There is no mention of this seal being visible. As one might expect, God knows God's own. This seal or mark stands in opposition to the mark of the beast which we will encounter later.

The number sealed "out of every tribe of Israel" is 144,000 - a complete number derived from 12 tribes of Israel times 12 apostles of the new Israel times 1,000. This is the military number of soldiers in a division (but also is symbolic, meaning a very large number). In John's view there certainly were Jewish Christians who would be sealed. Here the reference is to Christians in general - Jewish and Gentile. The Church was by this time considered to be an extension of the old Israel if not its replacement as the fulfillment of God's promise to Israel. In addition, there were no longer any fixed geographic or ethnic distinctions among tribal groups other than for the Levites who were the priests. That being said, and remembering that the number is purely symbolic, it does refer to those Christians who are living and are part of the existing churches of John's time. Describing the vision is John's way of giving reassurance to a suffering church that their present as well as their future is with God. His inclusion of military terminology to describe their number reminds them they are at the forefront of an earthly struggle against evil. They are, as some writers refer to them, the church militant.

Revelation, Chapter 7:9-17 The Multitude from Every Nation

John's vision moves to a new scene in which he sees an uncountable multitude from all the nations of the world. They are standing before the throne and the Lamb and are dressed in white robes. Holding the palm branches of celebration they shout praises of God and the Lamb. Joined by angels, elders and living creatures, they join together in worshipping and praising God. John's does not write that this multitude was sealed by the angel. That they are in heaven and are dressed in white robes indicates that these are martyrs and other Christians who have already died of other causes. In a way similar to the souls John sees under the altar, this gives added assurance to his readers that death brings some form of immediate presence in heaven. It will not be until the judgment that whatever form a heavenly body takes will be given to them.

John is told that this multitude standing before God consists of those who "have come out of the great ordeal" as martyrs. That their robes have been made white by the blood of the Lamb is a reference to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. For John faith in Christ crucified brings purification and holiness. Thus believers cannot boast of having received such a white robe on their own merits or even their possible death as a martyr, but only by the grace of God. Even though the elder has told John that those of the multitude "have come" out of the ordeal, the ordeal is happening among the churches in John's present time. The ordeal is the struggle in which all Christians are drawn up for battle. The vision looks to the time when those who die in the struggle will be with God. It will be a time of worship, without hunger or thirst or scorching heat, with the Lamb as their shepherd to guide them to the waters of life, and "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." They are the Church Triumphant with Christ the Lamb as her center. There are no promises here that believers will be protected from harm or death during the "great ordeal," but by way of the ordeal they will be with God.

October 6, 2014 Revelation Chapter 6

Revelation Chapter 6

Originally posted Tuesday December 16, 2014

General Comment: As we approach the reading and interpretation of the opening of the sealed scroll it is important to keep in mind that the scenes of war, pestilence, earthly disasters and death are not meant to be taken literally. This is the metaphorical language of vision. However, this does not lessen John's intent to address the ultimate destruction of the cosmic forces of evil and death which he identifies with Roman hubris, persecution and the Imperial cult. John is not predicting historical events and he is not drawing a blueprint for a transformation of social institutions in some spiritual awakening. For John the idea of judgment is real but the outcome of judgment will not be clear until we have received the full measure of his images of wrath. As we read these un-Christ-like passages - seemingly in contradiction to the image of a loving God and a Christ of love and peace, it is necessary to keep in mind the last part of chapter 5. There we read that "every creature in heaven, on earth and under the earth and in the sea" was heard to sing, 'To the one seated on the throne and to the lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!'" The end of the story, as in Isaiah's image of the worship of God on Mount Zion by all the nations of the world, is universal in scope and salvation.

Revelation, Chapter 6:1-8 Seals 1-4: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

As the Lamb successively opens the four seals, each of the four horsemen is introduced in turn by one of the four "living creatures" who stand at the four cardinal points of the compass. The horsemen represent the beginning of the eschatological judgment in terms of war, bloody strife, famine and pestilence. The image of the horsemen, with varied colors, is adapted from Zech. 1:7-15, 6:1-8. Various combinations of sword, famine, pestilence and animals as causes of death are found in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The "living creatures have a single-word introduction to each horseman, usually translated as "come." Contextually the better translation is "go," for the forces of judgment are already and always available to God.

First to appear is a white horse whose rider is an archer carrying a bow. The rider is given a crown and he is summoned to conquer. The crown is used as a sign of conquering as promised to the "victors" in the letters to the seven churches. The image of the white horse is that of the Parthian cavalry, famous for its white horses and bowmen who were known for their ability to fire their arrows backwards with the horses running at a gallop. The Parthian kingdom, at the eastern border of the Roman Empire, originated in and expanded from what is now the northeast part of Iran. Parthia was never conquered by the Roman Army but a major defeat of the Romans by Parthia in the Tigris River valley occurred in 62 CE, an event well known to the readers of Revelation. The raising of the image of the conquering Parthians serves as opening act in the ultimate defeat of Roman rule and establishment of God's rule. It is also meant to create fear and the dispelling of any sense of security.

Second to appear is a bright red horse whose rider carries a "great sword" representing civil strife. (As we will later read, red is the color of the dragon). He is allowed to "take peace from the earth." This introduces total anarchy, an absence of all social and moral inhibitions, resulting in internecine slaughter. It brings about the collapse of the Pax Romana, approximately two centuries of peace in the Empire enforced by the Roman Army. If the rider of the white horse has mustered the forces from outside the Empire this one has brought about the collapse of civil order from within. Such a collapse shows that the seeming stability of Roman rule is but an illusion. It is not the peace that comes from God for it is enforced by the sword.

Third to appear is the black horse whose rider carries a pair of scales for weighing. His appearing is accompanied by a voice from among the four living creatures. Their words refer to weights and costs of the food commodities wheat and barley. A day's pay is one silver denarius. The scene is that of famine. With famine come outrageous prices leading to rampant inflation with prices eight to sixteen times normal and the rationing of food. In such circumstances the rich can not only survive but prosper while the poor are left to their own devices for survival. The word for "scales" is also used for "yoke" Used this way it would refer to the yoke of hunger experienced by the poor, a burden imposed by the rich. They use the labor of the poor to sow and harvest the wheat and barley then charge them exorbitant prices to maintain their own lavish life styles. The voice ends with the cautionary advice not to harm the olive oil and the wine. These words are those of the rich who, while they can take their share of their own food crops, olive oil and wine are processed by others. The rich may not want to have the price of such important items increased. Another interpretation for this advice is that keeping the wine low in cost will induce the poor to drink themselves into a condition in which their hunger is not so difficult to bear thereby escaping their sense of utter poverty.

Fourth and the last of the horsemen to appear is the "sickly pale" horse whose rider is Death followed "with" Hades, the place of the dead. They are a fitting pair having been given authority "over a fourth of the earth," whom they could kill with sword, famine, plague and wild animals. We might note here that the first three disasters can be related to events in history (war, internal strife and famine) while the fourth is truly eschatological. The color of the horse is "other worldly" or supernatural in nature. The rider is Death itself accompanied by the personification of the place of the dead. The death of such a large segment of humanity is beyond the realm of history. 

Revelation, Chapter 6:9-11 The Fifth Seal

After the sending of the four horsemen who bring war, famine, civil strife and pestilence upon the earth our attention is drawn back to the heavenly scene. John's vision turns to the cries of the martyrs of the churches who have been executed by the roman government for their refusal to pay homage to he Emperor Domitian as a god. The company of martyrs would also include Jewish and Christian martyrs slain in the persecution of 64 CE in the aftermath of Nero's burning of a large portion of Rome. The churches first addressed in Revelation have a vested interest in the status of these martyrs, many of whom were known to them. In 1st Thessalonians we first read of this concern for those who had died before the Parousia. The question is one of status. Are these and future martyred Christians and others in Hades, languishing in the place of the dead?" John answers their concerns by reflecting on the Temple sacrifice with which his readers would be familiar. His language of sacrifice will also link these martyrs' deaths with Christ's who is the slaughtered lamb. As Christ was a martyr for his witness to God before the Roman Prefect Pilate, these martyrs have died because of their witness to Christ as their Lord in opposition to the Emperor. As martyrs they have "conquered" the world that has rejected both God and Christ and, as was Christ, they are self-sacrifices offered on the true altar of God (Rom. 12:1).

John sees the "souls," the disembodied essence of these faithful martyrs "under" the heavenly altar. The location sounds odd to us and may call forth images of medieval cathedrals with burial rooms under the main altar. But the readers knew the meaning. The word "soul" is not as we have come to understand it as the immortal soul of Greek philosophy. In Jewish and early Christian understanding the soul was the "self," the life force of a person. This life was in the person's or animal's blood. The entire sacrificial system was based not on just the offering of the flesh of an animal on the altar but also its life by way of the blood. In the Temple sacrifices the blood of the sacrifice was collected and poured at the base of the altar where it drained into the earth beneath the Temple. In this way the souls of the martyrs are under the altar. In John's vision these souls cry out to the "sovereign Lord" in a loud voice, asking God how long it will be before God's judgment will occur and their "blood (lives) is avenged on those who murdered them. This is a cry for God's justice and perhaps an echo of Jesus words on the cross questioning God's seeming abandonment. What they are asking for is vindication for the rightness of their witness and their death resulting from it (Ps. 79:5-10). The use here of "inhabitants of the earth" is inclusive of the entire Roman Empire insofar as its inhabitants subscribe to the Roman political/religious culture.

The answer seems something of a "put off" but it is one of encouragement. They are given a white robe - a symbol of the one who conquers through martyrdom, and told to rest until the "number would be complete." This answer to the cry "how long?" is an exhortation written to the Christians of John's churches. They must be wondering how they should respond to the temptations to accommodate themselves to the Emperor cult in view of the death of their friends and family members. Through the answer in which the dead are given a white robe and told the judgment would be soon, the living are encouraged to persevere in faith and hope. There is no promise of relief or protection through escape. There is no rapture in Revelation to save them from the possibility of martyrdom. But their hope is already vindicated in what John writes: they and still others after them will conquer and receive the heavenly white robe in the presence of God and Christ. There is an interesting parallel in 2 Cor. 5:1-5 to the idea of putting on a robe or tent, as Paul calls it, as part of heavenly exaltation. He writes of longing to be clothed with the heavenly tent or dwelling, not wishing to be found naked (in death). Eternal life is like a garment one puts on - a heavenly clothing in which one stands before God.

Revelation, Chapter 6:12-17 The Sixth Seal

The opening of the sixth seal brings a vision of great disturbances in the cosmos in response to God's coming judgment. As with most writings of this type, the end begins with worldly catastrophes and then moves to the cosmic realm. These latter events are in answer to the cry "how soon?" As John writes in vs. 17, "The great day of [God's] wrath has come" (but it will take another 16 chapters to complete). The phenomena that John sees - earthquake, darkened sun, moon like blood, falling stars, vanishing sky and the movement of mountains and islands, are all images from apocalyptic passages of the Old Testament and other Jewish writings. (Jer., Ezek., Joel, Isa.). They are in part the beginnings of making a new heaven and a new earth.

The people of the earth, great and small, rich and poor, slave and free hide in the caves and among the rocks. They pray that they be covered by the mountains and rocks and be hidden from "the face of [God] and the wrath of the lamb." But there is no escape from judgment for those who have accommodated themselves to the way of Rome and forsaken the way of Christ as Lord. As noted before, the vision is not to be taken literally or as a wiping away of bad social structures inherent in empire, to be replaced by a Christian theocracy which would be no less dangerous to justice and freedom. The vision is a symbol of the end of the world of sin and death as human beings have experienced it, to be replaced by the reign of God. The final question is left for the readers to ponder. "Who can stand?"

October 3, 2014 Revelation Chapter 5

Revelation Chapter 5

Originally posted Monday December 15, 2008

Revelation. Chapter 5 The Scroll and the Lamb

If chapter four established the absolute power, glory and majesty of God against all other pretenders to God's throne, chapter five establishes the worthiness of the Lamb of God (see Jhn 1:29) to open the scroll secured by seven seals. In John's vision he sees that God is holding a scroll that is written on the inside and sealed on the back with seven seals (indicating a completeness of sealing meant to preclude being opened). The completely sealed scroll contains the events thatmust happen soon - the subject of the remaining chapters of Revelation. A "mighty angel" (probably Michael) shouts the question to find someone worthy to open the scroll and break its seals. Though the call goes out through all of heaven, on and under the earth, no one answers. John is despondent perhaps because this is why he is there - to see the things that must happen soon as promised. The very act of opening the scroll will set into motion the scroll's contents - what must happen. One of the twenty four elders steps forward to console him, pointing to the one who is worthy (vs. 5). The title "Lion of the tribe of Judah" is a Messianic title and  generally refers to any of the kings of Judah who is of the line of David. But here it is more specific. Being of the root of David does mean a descendent of David and there is one such descendent who will be found worthy  - the one who has conquered. We will recall that the word "conquered" was used in the closing of each of the letters to the seven churches to refer to those who will be found worthy of a place before God and Christ in heaven (3:5, 12, 21). In this case the reference is to Jesus who, according to the Gospels and Paul is of the lineage of David and is the Messiah. He has "conquered the world of Satan not only with respect to sin but also through his innocent martyrdom (Heb. 4:15).

As the elder speaks John does see a figure "standing [among the elders] as if it had been slaughtered" (covered with blood) between the four beasts and God's throne. It is the figure of a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes (powerful and all seeing). There are several ways the lamb has been interpreted including the Passover lamb whose blood protects the Hebrews from the angel of death in Egypt. This certainly would fit the early idea expressed in "Hebrews'" portrayal of Christ entering the heavenly Holy of Holies as a sacrifice once and for all (Heb. 7:26-27). Perhaps a better reference would be the image in Isaiah's poem song of the Suffering Servant (Isa. 52:13-53:9), specifically 53:7. The use of "horn" as a metaphor for power is used in Luke 1:69 referring to Jesus as "a mighty horn of salvation...in the house of David." The Old Testament has many references to the horn as the Davidic king (messianic figure) who defeats the enemies of Israel, as in Ps.132:17 "There I will make a horn to sprout for David. I have prepared a lamp for my anointed. His enemies I will clothe with shame. When a horn sprouts on an ox's head and becomes like iron, then he must be feared by all his enemies" (also see Ps. 92:9, 10; Mic.4:13).From this we can understand the seven horns on the lamb as referring to the total and complete power of the lamb to defeat the enemies of the Church. We should not miss the subtheme of this image of the lamb with horns. It is the lamb "as if it had been slaughtered" that, appearing weak, is presented as  more powerful than all the forces of earth and the one who will unleash the events soon to be described.

The seven eyes sent out into all the world are found in the 5th vision of Zech. 4:10b where the seven eyes are the "eyes of the Lord which range through the whole earth." The vision of John links the seven eyes of the lamb with the "seven spirits of God sent into all the earth." This is a subtle mention of the presence of the church in its totality, "sent into all the earth." Through the whole church the evil of the world, that the opening of the scroll will destroy, is seen in heaven.

As the lamb takes the scroll from the right hand of God he is worshipped as worthy to open the scroll by the four beasts, the twenty four elders, a multitude of angels and "every creature" in heaven, on earth and in the sea.

The prelude of chapters 4 and 5 is complete. The glory and majesty of God and the complete worthiness of the Christ as the lamb to preside over the coming events have been established.

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Note:

According to the Talmud the Archangel Michael ("Who is like the Lord?") will lead the war in heaven against Satan. He is the "Captain of the host (Army) of God." He plays a significant role in the end times in Judaism, Christianity and Islam and appears in a number of apocalyptic writings.

October 2, 2014 Revelation Chapter 4

Revelation Chapter 4

Originally posted Friday December 12, 2008

Revelation, Chapter 4 The Heavenly Worship Vision

John's first visionary experience had no specific location. He hears a voice and sees the heavenly Christ standing amid the seven lampstands representing the seven churches and holding the seven stars representing the angels of the seven churches. John is not "located" within this vision. In other words, he is an observer - a seer, of the vision and not a participant. In his second vision John stands within the vision's setting, the throne room of God in heaven. From his viewpoint as observer, John "sees" an open door in heaven. He is instructed by a voice "speaking as if it were a trumpet" to "come up here" and to enter heaven through the door. The speaker is the same voice as the one dictating the letters to the seven churches, the self-identified voice of Christ. As previously noted elsewhere the sound of the trumpet is linked  to the eschatological event, the announcement of the Parousia and the resurrection of the dead (see 1 Thess. 4:16f; 1 Cor. 15:51-52).

The voice tells John that he is about to be shown "what must take place." Note here the use of the divine imperative "must," meaning that the events John will see have already been predetermined and are being set in motion. They cannot be altered. He has been called up into heaven to observe and record them, not to debate their merits or plead for mercy on behalf of humankind. "After this" probably refers to John's experience before the throne of God and the events of chapter 6 onward.

As soon as the voice speaks John was "in the Spirit" (trance) and had passed through the open door into heaven and saw a throne with "one" seated upon it (Isa. 6:1-4; Ezek. 1:26-27; Dan. 7:9). He does not describe the one on the throne in human terms lest he lessen the glory he is beholding. Instead he uses a variety of multicolored gems and the presence of a rainbow surrounding the throne (Ezek. 1:28). Taken together, the gems and rainbow have no theological or eschatological significance. They are the stuff of describing the indescribable. The whole of chapters 4 and 5 are meant to establish the absolute majesty of God who deserves to be worshipped and the credentials of the Lamb to initiate the cosmic events that will follow.

Surrounding the throne of God are twenty four other thrones, upon which are seated twenty four elders (overseers) wearing white robes and golden crowns. These elders will appear several times in Revelation. Their function in the vision has been variously understood as representing the saints of the Old Testament or, as two groups of twelve, the old (Judaism) and new Israel (the Church). 1 Chron. 24:4ff describes the selection of 24 rulers (elders) as the heads of the twenty four priestly families. Occasionally one of their number will assist John in interpreting a vision. In the scene before us their purpose seems to be to worship God. The white robes are symbols of holiness and purity in keeping with their closeness to the Throne. The crowns are given in recognition of those who conquer (2:10; 3:11). As further emphasis on the superlative greatness of the throne - and therefore the one who sits upon it, there are flashes of lightening, peals of thunder, flaming torches and something like a sea of glass (Ezek. 37:23, 1:13, 1:5) all meant to create a sense of overwhelming awe.

Also around the throne are the four living creatures full of eyes and each creature with six wings (Isa. 6:2). John sees the four creatures as a lion, ox, man and eagle (see Dan.7:4ff).They also participate in the worship of God, continually singing God's praises (Isa. 6:1-4). Each time they sing the twenty four elders fall down and worship God, "casting their crowns before the throne" as a symbol of their own unworthiness as compared to God's. 

The entire vision - a collection of images taken from several Old Testament texts, is colorful, loud, with flashing lights, an interesting cast of characters, animals, and non-stop worship. A video representation would be quite impressive. It does serve some important functions, not the least of which, that it establishes the cosmic power of God who deserves and receives absolute worship to the extent that cannot be matched by any human ruler. It is to this majesty not Caesar's that humanity is to bow.

October 1, 2014 Revelation Chapter 3

Revelation Chapter 3

Originally posted Thursday December 11, 2008

Revelation, Chapter 3:1-6, Message to Sardis

1. Written to the angel of the church in Sardis, these are the words of him whoholds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. In the reference to the "seven spirits" we note a difference between 1:4 where the seven spirits (angels) are "before the throne" of God and 3:1 where the seven spirits as well as the seven stars are held by the glorified Christ. The difference may seem nominal, especially given John's use of certain words in more than one way. However, as we read the negative appraisals given for most of these churches the inclusion of the image of Christ "holding" the seven spirits gives a clear message that the churches are not outside the realm of heavenly rule and expectations. We have read the examples of those who have taught and others who have been swayed to turn freedom from the law into idolatrous license. That Christ continues to hold these spirits is a warning that their fate is still the outcome of judgment. This subtle addition may be reflected in the fact that there is nothing good that can be said of the church in Sardis.

2. Positive Recognition: The speaker has little that is positive to say about the church in Sardis. Vs. 4 mentions the remnant, the "few names" that have remained faithful in the midst of rampant ungodliness. 

3. Negative appraisal: Simply put, the church in Sardis has the name (reputation) of being a lively community, faithfully carrying out works of godliness. Unfortunately - for them, their reputation is a sham, more talk than action. Far from being spiritually alive they are spiritually dead. We might be reminded of Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees when he called them "white washed tombs," attractive on the outside but filled with the corruption of dead bones. Sardis looks good but a closer inspection reveals a community unworthy of the name "Christian."

4. Admonitions/Encouragement: The deadened spirit of Sardis has not gone unnoticed. What works they perform are not perfect - they do not serve to fulfill God's purpose. In most instances "works" refers to devoted godliness which requires constant resistance to any accommodation to idolatry and all the sin idolatry implies. 

The church is exhorted to "be watching," (not wake up) to strengthen what little life might remain, for the time is short and the end comes like a thief without warning. "Strengthen" refers to more than the need to act in the present. It is a word often used to describe what is necessary to persevere until the end - the Parousia. It is the strength to remain faithful through all temptations and persecution and it is only available to the faithful - thus faith begets faith.

Yet there is still a remnant, a "few names" (not persons) who did not "soil their garments" (see Jude 23). The better translation of the word referring to the remnant is "names" rather than persons. These "names" are known to Christ. The names of the faithful are important in end times thinking. They are or will be written in the "book of life" in which everyone's deeds are entered, ready for examination at the judgment. These faithful and worthy few will be "dressed in white" and walk with Christ. White is the color of purity/holiness. Because the worthy few will walk with Christ the white garment takes on an image of those who are close to the throne of God. The interpretation of the change of garments is rooted in the idea of what one wears. In Paul and later writers, one wears certain virtues, e.g. love, kindness, or Christ. Paul writes of the resurrection in terms of an exchange of garments, shedding one's mortality (mortal garment) and "putting on immortality" (one's immortal garment). The white garment of vss. 4, 5 represents immortality with Christ near the throne of God.

5: Promise to the victors: Those who have not been found worthy are not yet lost. They, too, if they conquer, will be clothed in a white garment and their names will remain in the :Book of Life." Vs. 5 indicates Christ is not only the one who judges the unworthy by blotting out their names from the Book of Life. He is also a defender or advocate who "confesses" (bears witness to the righteousness of) the names of the worthy before God and God's angels. In the Gospels, Jesus as the "Son of Man" is designated as the judge of the end times (see MT 25:31-46) who both accuses and defends based on one's godly works.

Revelation, Chapter 3:7-13, Message to Philadelphia

1. Written to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, these are the words of the holy and true one who has the key of David (entry into the Messianic Kingdom) and who alone can unlock and lock (Isa. 22:22, 60:14; Job. 12:14). The "true one" used of Christ, in the political context of Revelation, refers to Christ as the true Lord over against Caesar who claims the title as the head of the Roman Imperial cult. Paul writes in Philippians 2:9 that the exalted Christ is given a name above all names - Lord, which in the Old Testament Adonai refers to God.

2. Positive Recognition: The Philadelphians' works of godliness are known to Christ as worthy. The key of David mention in vs. 7 is used to open the door to the Messianic Kingdom of Heaven. Because they have remained faithful and have not denied Christ as Lord, even though this community is weak by worldly standards, they will share in the glory to come.

3: Negative Appraisal: There is nothing negative to be said to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.

4. Admonitions/Encouragements: The synagogue of Satan appears in 2:9 and is accused of slandering the church. As in the verse where those who claim to be Jews are not, in 3:9 a similar situation exists in relationships between synagogue and church - common by the end of the 1st century. By this time the church had concluded, and proclaimed, that it was the Church alone and not the Synagogue that was empowered and authorized to speak for God. The true Jews were those who had converted to Christianity and suffered no less an assault from the synagogues than Gentile Christians and arguably worse. The reference to Jews lying (2:9a) probably refers to the question of the Church's legitimacy as representing the God of Israel.

These false Jews, Christ says, will be forced to do obeisance before the faithful Philadelphians as a demonstration that Christ has loved them (Isa. 49:23). This particular scene is not explained. It would be incorrect to interpret the text as referring to Jews bowing before the Philadelphians in an attitude of worship. Nowhere does the New Testament give such an exalted status to a human being apart from Jesus. This reference is to a posture of humility before those who have been faithful to Christ. The scene is one of contrition not worship. It would also be incorrect to interpret this as anti-Semitism, the rejection of the Jews based on race. It is certainly anti-Judaism in the narrow thinking of early Christians who not only appropriated the Old Testament as their own but had the hubris to claim they had replaced the Jews as the chosen people of God. The reference in 2:9 is to a heavenly scene which would indicate the presence of the Jews in heaven, converted or not. As Paul has written, God will not abandon the people of Israel (Rom. 9-11).

Because the Philadelphians have remained constant in their faithfulness to Christ, even though they are weak and suffering harassment, they will be protected against the approaching "hour of trial" - the sign of the last day, which is coming to test all humanity. "Trial" usually means temptation. This is the meaning in Revelation. The events which will soon occur will create severe temptations in which faith in Christ will be assailed by false teachings leading people to accommodate themselves to idolatry. The Philadelphians have kept their faith with patient endurance as faithful witnesses refusing to give in to the lures of depravity. Because of this they will be kept from the coming trial. Yet their diligence to "hold fast to what [they] have" is necessary to prevent someone else from "snatching [their] crown." Contextually this does not mean there is someone waiting in the wings to grab a crown to which one is not entitled. It is an added emphasis on the need to endure until the end. All of this is set in light of the statement "I am coming soon." 

5. Promise to the Victors: To those who conquer - are victorious over the forces of evil and have kept the faith is given the promise to be made "a pillar in the temple of [God]" from which they will never need to leave (see Gal. 2:9), a statement that will be revisited later in Revelation. Paul refers to Peter, James and John as pillars of the church. The use of this image is to emphasize the priestly function to which all Christians are called. The priest served God in the temple at Jerusalem on rotation. Now it seems the exalted believer will have the high privilege to be before God for all time (see 1:6). The writing of God's, the New Jerusalem's and Christ's new name on the believer has two possibilities. The names may be as an identifier of those who belong to God as opposed to the "mark of the beast" as an identifier of those who belong to Satan. Given the importance of writing in Revelation, having these names written on the believer would be considered a high honor (see 1:17).

Revelation, Chapter 3:14-22, Message to Laodicea

1. Written to the angel of the church in Laodicea, these are the words of the Amen, defined as one who is a faithful and true witness (see 2 Cor.1:20), the beginning of God's creation (Jhn.1:1-3a; Col 1:15-16).The Hebrew word amen means "firm" and is used in the Synoptic Gospels by Jesus in the form "Amen, Amen" to stress the absolute certainty of a statement as being true. Because the amen has been personified as Christ he is truth and faithfulness.

2. Positive Recognition: There is absolutely nothing positive to say about this "angel." Indeed, the most negative comments about the churches are reserved for Laodicea.

3. Negative Appraisal: Based on the tepid nature of the works of the Laodiceans the church is neither hot or cold. The Amen wishes the church was one or the other for neutrality is not an acceptable posture for those who wish to be part of the Kingdom. There is no room for mugwumps in heaven. Because the church is lukewarm they are in jeopardy of being "excommunicated," spit out from the mouth of judgment (two edged sword). It is probable that the neutrality - the absence of devotion to one way or the other, arises from that which has plagued the other churches of the seven. In the temptation to accommodate themselves to the prevailing pagan culture, some have done so - worshipping in temples as well as the church community, and some have not. But those who have not strayed have done nothing to either bring the lost sheep back into the fold or to condemn the fallen. They are neither hot nor cold.

The Laodiceans claim they are rich and are in need of nothing. There may be literal truth to such a claim for Laodicea was a major financial and trade center for the Romans in the 1st century. There probably was great wealth in the church. But such wealth is more of a millstone around the neck than a benefit as far as devotion to Christ is concerned. Those who were rich would see themselves as self reliant and self sufficient. Church worship and even offerings would have become a mere show, tokens of egotism. Whether they worshipped God or the gods or both, would have been fitting for their station in life. But Christ calls the question and the vote is unanimous: The Laodiceans may be materially rich, well clothed and well educated but they are deemed by God's values to be wretchedly poor, blind and naked. They are without spiritual treasure; they are without insight into the wisdom of God; and they are without the new garment of righteousness.

4. Admonitions/Encouragements: As far removed from God as the Laodiceans are Christ does not abandon them. He counsels them to purchase from him "gold refined by [the] fire" of persecution, a purity  which comes from making a stand for God against the idolatrous society in which they live. If they do so they will truly be rich toward God. Through works of godliness they are urged to purchase new clothing, to discard the soiled robes of elegance and to don the white robe of purity to cover their spiritual nakedness. They should purchase ointment to anoint their eyes so they can truly "see" the truth of the Christ they have been dishonoring. (As an aside to this last admonition, Laodicea was well known as a center for the study and medical treatment of the eyes.)

Christ encourages the Laodiceans to earnestly consider their situation. In view that the events depicted in Revelation must happen soon, they are encouraged to repent. The well known content of vs. 20 is an offering of forgiveness. Christ still takes the initiative, standing at the door and knocking. If the Laodiceans are listening with spiritual hearing they will open the door and break bread together with Christ in the great Messianic banquet (breaking bread together was a sign of mutual acceptance).  

5. Promise to the Victors: Not only does repentance bring forgiveness and a place at the Messianic table, there is a sharing of Christ's reign (throne). As he has shared God's throne through his sacrifice (conquering the world), the Laodiceans will share Christ's throne if they conquer their neutrality and firmly and exclusively devote themselves to Christ.