January 4, 2014: Matthew Chapter 4

January 4, 2008 - The Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 4

General Comment: In 1920 Robert Frost in his book Mountain Interval, penned what arguably might be the most remembered lines of American verse:

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Matthew has placed Jesus at the point of divergence leading away from John (whose disciple Jesus had surely become) and the familiar Jordan River shore. This chapter outlines in brief vignettes what will be the results of the path he takes. This is not a man who has been programmed to follow a certain course from which he is helpless to diverge. He is, after all, a human being and destiny does not come to anyone neatly wrapped, map in hand. The Baptism was but an awakening of consciousness, bringing more questions than answers. We will follow Jesus as he sorts out the answers on the road less traveled and begins to see why this has made all the difference.

Matthew 4:1-11 The Temptation of Jesus

Some fishermen from Capernaum surrounded Jesus as he came out of the water. They, too, had been baptized by John. They invited Jesus to share some bread and dried fish, but the hovering, unseen spirit had other ideas. The gentle caress of a dove's wings turned quickly into an insisting hand on the shoulder, pushing Jesus along the rock-strewn road. But to where, what? Into the wilderness, that endless waste land of wandering, like the lost Israelites moving away from the high moments of Sinai into the 40 year long desert trek before reaching what God had in store for them. Jesus is now on his own spirit quest. From the purification of the waters, now comes the purification of heart, mind and soul, an initiation, a confirmation into vocation, and...the enemy. Forty days of wandering; forty days of fasting; forty nights of sheltering himself in the rocks from the winds, the spirit winds going about the business of creating something new. He recited his mantra over and over, every Israelite's morning and evening prayer, the Shema, reminding himself whose he was, "Hear oh Israel, the Lord. The Lord our God is One." It was night, it was morning, a new day.

The deprivations of so many days brought clarity to his mind. He had transcended his hunger, thirst, the awareness of his very self. Now he understood. John was right, the Kingdom of Heaven has come near, and somehow Jesus knew he would be involved in its manifestation. Somehow the reign of God was dawning, the edges of the dream of Isaiah were beginning to come together and in a flash of mystical inspiration, it came to him. God's Kingdom, God's reign was beginning in him!

But how? The ancient enemy, the Prince of this world, perched as he always is over the hopes of humanity, a prowling stealer of dreams. He had a plan.  Instill doubts. Question ability. Suggest  tempting alternatives. Play on the human inclination to power, control, self importance. Turn these stones to bread, he taunted. You must be hungry. Surely you can make bread from these stones. Aren't you the Son of God? Do something spectacular, amaze the masses. They will follow a great miracle worker. Look, I can make this easy for you. Do you want a Kingdom? Look at the horizon. Every way you turn, all those nations, they belong to me, you know, and they are all yours to rule, Jesus. All I want is a little credit for handing over this Kingdom you have so incessantly been thinking about. Jesus was being tempted but not swayed. The words emblazoned themselves in his thoughts like the burning finger of God at Sinai: "Hear oh Israel, the Lord. The Lord is One. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might." The words spoke by themselves. And he was alone. The victory was his, for now. And he knew what to do.

Matthew 4:12-17 Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1,2; 42:7)

On his way to Nazareth Jesus heard the news that Herod Antipas, Tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea, had arrested John and thrown him into prison. John had become more that a nuisance, haranguing Herod about his close to incestuous marriage to Herodias, Herod's half brother's wife, and his own niece. More than that Herod could not help but be disturbed, even threatened by the restless crowds that were increasingly excited about John's announcement of a coming Kingdom and the one in whom it would be manifested. The news of the arrest was not lost on Jesus. Paying a brief visit in Nazareth, Jesus traveled to Capernaum on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee some 3 miles from where the upper Jordan River enters the sea. It was a fishermen's town, a border location for duty collectors, government officials and many Gentiles. There was one small synagogue there where Jesus would one day sit in the "Moses Seat," read the Targum of Isaiah and teach. In a later time, upon that same site, a beautifully elaborate synagogue would be erected. A busy crossroads such as this would provide a promising locale for this young preacher to begin his work. He would make his residence here.

Matthew 4:18-22 Jesus enlists his first followers

No one stands alone in the noble enterprise of proclaiming the nearness, the very beginning of God's reign. First he would call some of those same fishermen he had encountered among the pilgrims that came to John in the Jordan: Peter, Andrew, James and John. He would call them and others with a simple challenge - Follow me! But why would anyone follow him? Why would anyone drop their nets, leave them to others, step away from families, trade everything for an unknown future and a dream yet to be given shape? But they did - without knowing precisely why, beyond the richness of Jesus' confident presence among them, a compelling presence that reflected an inner light of something from beyond himself. Somehow Jesus knew they were ready. They would come home again, now and then. But they would never look back.

Matthew 4:23-25 The Reign of God is in the midst of them

They are on the road, this small band of brothers, walking through the villages and towns, sharing table hospitality with the spiritually hungry, lifting up the hopes of the dispossessed, the landless poor, visiting the Synagogues on the Sabbath, teaching, healing the sick, proclaiming the good news of God's reign. There was an excitement growing, such as had not been experienced in Israel since the triumphant victories of the Maccabean revolt had cast out their Syrian Overlords almost 200 years before. The word spread: come and see, is this the one we have expected? Is this The Prophet Moses spoke about, the Messiah? We have  never seen  or heard anything like this! 

And the people came out to see this new thing God must surely be doing in their midst. From Syria, the Gentile Decapolis, even from Jerusalem and beyond the Jordan they came.  And, for now, the crowds were with him.

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We are all tempted. Divergent roads are ever before us begging the choice - take me! What are we to do? To whose voice do we listen? To the last, most compelling point of view? Do we actually test our choices, mull them over, examine them from all sides? Is there anyone who speaks a word that captures our imagination, our devotion, someone who can overcome the steeled resistance of our self interest? Matthew has presented the first part of an answer: One in whom God is present and acting and is still traveling the byways of time, calling still to those who will listen, those who know that life is not what it could be. Peter, Andrew, James and John heard something, saw something that compelled them to walk with this Jesus, to learn if their own lives could begin to matter in their world, among their people. The road is always there. The call is always in the air. Come and see. Come join the journey. It might make all the difference.

October 22, 2014 Revelation Chapter 22

NOTE: Thank you, blog readers, for following this commentary on the New Testament by Charles Stopford.  I miss you, Charles!  It has been a pleasure reposting Charles' comments throughout this year (even though we finished a little early).  With love, Melanie Lee

Dear fellow travelers,

We have reached the end of the New Testament road. The work that I have tried to do would not have been possible without the patient assistance of my wonderful wife, Phyllis. She has read each chapter and suggested ways I could be less verbose and clearer in my use of language. Of course I reserved the right to use an occasional "big word" to send some scurrying to find their dictionaries. Also I want to thank Bob MacLeish who helped me to keep sentences as short as possible while maintaining the message. He also challenged me on a number of theological points helping me to sharpen my understanding what the writer was saying to his own community. To all of you who sent emails asking for clarification of certain terms thank you for reminding me that not everybody keeps their noses in a mountain of technical books of Roman, Jewish and Christian history and theology. Finally, I have welcomed the notes from those who have appreciated receiving these offerings. You have helped me to see that my labors have not been in vain.  To the approximately 200 readers from Orlando to Tennessee to Arkansas to Hawaii to New Zealand I say thank you for sharing your time with me.

Together we have explored every chapter of every book in the New Testament. It is my hope that the trip was worth the time and that each of you found something of value which contributed not only to knowledge of scripture but also to a better understanding leading to spiritual growth. We have read many variations on a theme spanning nine decades of writings as communities of Christians sought the answer to Jesus' challenging question, "Who do you say that I am?" Their answers ranged from prophet to Messiah to Lord and Son of God. They were all right but none of them could capture the totality of Jesus in any title. He came announcing God's good news of the reign of God already beginning in his own words and deeds. He denounced those who believed that following a pre-set list of statutes and ordinances was the way to God. He demonstrated the truth of what Malachi wrote centuries before him: "He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?" He said as much in his own words: Love God and love your neighbor as if you were the neighbor.

Whatever good you take away from your study may it be seen manifested in your life in this world. Keep studying, keep questioning, keep growing and keep the deepest places of your soul open to the God who approaches and makes himself known in the Spirit of Christ.

God's Grace and peace to you all,

Charles

Revelation Chapter 22

Originally posted Wednesday January 7, 2009

Revelation, Chapter 22:1-7 The River of Life

The final vision is that of the new Eden with its running water and tree of life. The kingdom of God is a heaven-on-earth kingdom with God and the Lamb present and enthroned in the New Jerusalem. John's vision of the city lit by the glory of God and Christ, receiving the nations, kings and people bringing honor to God is similar to Isaiah's vision of universal salvation. This is a vision of all the nations coming to Zion to honor and learn from God. One other important part of the vision is that, aside from all the visionary rhetoric of the lake of fire, John mentions all who have not been permitted entrance into the city because their names are not in the book of Life. Apparently these are the non-Christians - and lapsed Christians, who have accommodated themselves to idol worship in any form. The message seems to be that even though Judgment has been pronounced, he understands that the world is essentially as it was. The dead have been judged but all the living are still living - those who worship God and those who worship the beast in some larger context than the deified Roman Emperor (see 21:8). According to John's vision of judgment in 20:11 only the dead are judged. Those who have "conquered" the beast (resisted Imperial idolatry) are in the Book of Life and therefore in the New Jerusalem. Those who have not are in the lake of fire. We might conclude that although those who "practice abominations or falsehood" (idol worship) are destined for the lake of fire, there is still room for repentance. This seems to be the point of 21:24, 26 where those who were formerly cited as being deceived by and worshiping the beast are now coming to the New Jerusalem to bring their gifts and to honor God. Of course apocalyptic literature is not always subject to logical analysis. No doubt John would frown on attempts to fill in the gaps. It is after all the end of the world as he knew it and all things have been made new again. He would say to us "It is done" and leave the loose ends to God.

The River of the Water of Life (Spirit of God) flows from the throne along a course in the middle of the one, pure gold street through the city (Ezek. 47:1f; Ps. 46:4; Zech. 14:8). The Tree of Life is on both sides of this river of living water. The typical translation is awkward. One tree seems to be on both sides of the river. Some manuscripts have attempted to clarify this ambiguity with "In the middle of the street of the city and on either side of the river is the tree of life." This does not solve the uncertainty of John's meaning. The point he is making is not the location of the tree but its apocalyptic over abundance, its continuous and varied fruitfulness and its leaves as a source of healing for the nations. Nations - ethnos, is frequently and accurately translated as Gentiles. The healing of the nations means their inclusion within the City of God and not "ruled with a rod of iron" when they were associated with the beast. All things truly are new again!

As a conclusion to John's description of the City of God, we are left with the image of the throne of God and the Lamb (a single, shared throne) in the center of the "river of the living water" (Jhn. 7:37-38). God's servants who have God's name on their foreheads (those who have conquered) will see and worship God face to face. The City of God will have no need for any kind of light apart from the light of the glory of God. The angel who carried John to the mountain from which he saw the City of God vouches for the trustworthiness of all the words (visions) John has seen. They are from God and they declare "what must soon take place." The angel's next words are from Christ with his promise that the Parousia is coming soon and that all who keep (live by) the words John has written will be blessed.

Revelation, Chapter 22:8-21 Epilogue and Benediction

John responds to the angel's words by attempting to worship the angel. This angel - unlike those who have been cast into the abyss, refused to be worshipped and claimed no greater status than that of being a servant of God just as John and all who "keep the words of this book." God and God alone is to be worshipped. Unlike the angel's instructions to Daniel in Dan. 8:26, this angel tells John not to seal the prophetic words he has seen and written. The difference is one of timing. In Daniel the prophecy refers to a more distant future ("many days from now") whereas for John "the time is near." Of course, as we have read, apocalyptic time is not assumed to be linear. The angel tells John to let things be as they are. Let the world go on as it is because Christ is coming soon. Blessed are those who are found to be prepared to receive their reward, to eat of the tree of life and enter through the gates of the New Jerusalem.

John closes Revelation with a warning to all who hear the prophecy he has written. In typical apocalyptic hyperbole he pronounces the curses God will visit on anyone who adds to or takes away from his word. With a last word from Christ "who testifies to these things," John repeats the promise, "Surely I am coming soon," to which he adds his own "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus - Maran 'atha.

October 21, 2014 Revelation Chapter 21

Revelation Chapter 21

Originally posted Tuesday January 6, 2009

Revelation, Chapter 21:1-8, A New Heaven and a New Earth

Chapter 20 saw the end of Satan, the two beasts and personified Death and Hades, both abodes of the dead. In a first resurrection were the martyrs who had been executed for their resistance to the worship of the image of the beast. They ruled the earth with Christ for a thousand years as priests of God and of Christ.  Their status as martyrs means they do not stand before the throne in the final judgment. They are already assured of eternal life. In a second resurrection all who had died were raised to be judged according to their deeds - godly and/or ungodly, having the mark of the beast or of God. Although John does not elaborate on who these dead are, his use of "the dead" can be taken as all the dead from the beginning of human history. This would be consistent with Paul's comments in Rom. 1:18-2:16 where he writes of the time before and after the giving of the Law. The judgment of the dead results in either eternal life with God or eternal death in the lake of fire with Satan et al. This is what John calls the "second death" for those who had died physically, were raised in the resurrected and were judged as having the mark of the beast. Their names were not in the book of life.

As we begin the final visions we should note that only the dead have been judged. The earth is still populated with the living, both Christian and pagan worshippers: worshippers of God and worshippers of the beast. We are yet to learn what becomes of them. So far we have seen the Messianic age of Christ's one thousand year reign. The early church understood there would be a transfer of power from Christ to God - although this power will be shared. Paul writes in 1 Cor. 15:24-26 "Then comes the end, when [Christ] hands over the [messianic] kingdom to God after [Christ] has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power; for [Christ] must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death."

John's vision includes a new heaven and a new earth with a new holy city of Jerusalem "coming down out of heaven from God" who has "made all things new" (Isa. 65:17-18). The New Jerusalem is not simply a new version of the old city. Now it is adorned as a bride for her husband in fulfillment of 19:7, where the marriage of the Lamb has come. Based on this verse and 21:9-10, we know that the bride is the church consisting of "those who conquer" the beast by their abiding faith in Christ. The church and the New Jerusalem are now one. With the New Jerusalem is the presence of God who will dwell amid God's people, taking away their sorrow and pain, for "Death will be no more" (Isa. 25:8, 66:22). But not all will share this New Jerusalem and be eternally in God's presence. John lists those who will be shut out from the New Jerusalem and confined in the lake of fire. This is not a new grouping. They are presented in the second resurrection of 20:15 and will suffer the second death because their names are not in the Book of Life. They did not conquer but submitted to and bore the mark of the beast, now expanded beyond the worship of idols to a number of other grievous sins (vs.8).

Revelation, Chapter 21:9-27, Vision of the New Jerusalem

John is "carried away" by an angel to a great, high mountain where he saw "the bride, the wife of the Lamb" (Ezek. 40:1-2). From that vantage point John sees Jerusalem descending (again?) out of heaven from God (vs.2). John presents a spectacular visual description of the adorned Jerusalem. It has "the glory of God (Ezek.1:28, 43:1-20) and a jewel-like radiance, a high wall with twelve gates - three opening to each of the four cardinal points of the compass. At each of the gates are stationed twelve angels matching the names of the twelve tribes of Israel which are inscribed on the gates. The city wall has twelve foundations. On each is inscribed the names of the twelve apostles of Jesus (Eph. 2:19-20). (We note here the position of the apostles as the foundation of the City of God.) The city, its foundations, gates, wall and streets are a dizzying combination of precious jewels and pure gold not as adornments but as the materials from which they are built (Isa. 54:11-12).  

After describing the city the angel gives John a gold measuring rod to measure the city. its gates and walls (Zech. 2:1-2). As we would expect, the measurements of the city are as spectacular as her appearance. The footprint of the city is 2,250,000 square miles and 1,500 miles high, a perfect cube as was the Sanctuary of the original Jerusalem Temple. The wall around the city is approximately 172 feet high based on the longest Roman cubit.

Unlike the old City this New Jerusalem has no Sanctuary, for the divine presence of God and the Lamb make the entire city a Sanctuary. Thus the city is lit by the glory of God and its lamp is the Lamb and it has no need for celestial lighting (Isa. 24:23, 60:1-2, 19; Ezek. 1:28). John describes the City of God in which God is present as a city that is always open and its ever present light will guide the nations and welcome the kings and people who bring the glory and honor (wealth) of the nations, not to the beast but to God (Isa. 60:11, 20; Zech. 8:20-21).

The New Jerusalem, the Sanctuary which is God and the Lamb, will always be open to those who are guided by the light of God's presence. But there is no access given to anything unclean or anyone who practices a false religion - idol worship, which is apart from God (Isa. 35:8). Only those whose name is in the Lamb's Book of Life may enter (Dan. 12:1).

October 20, 2014 Revelation Chapter 20

Revelation Chapter 20

Originally posted Monday January 5, 2009

Revelation, Chapter 20:1-6 The Thousand Years

The gathered armies of the kings of the earth, the beast from the sea and all those who were deceived by the false prophet (the beast from the land) and willingly received the mark of the beast were defeated. The two beasts were captured and thrown into the lake of fire (Num. 16:33). Those who bore the mark of the beast were killed by the sharp, two-edged sword from the mouth of the rider of the white horse (Isa. 11:4; Rev. 2:12,16). A number of interpreters have rushed to judgment assigning the killing of those who bear the mark of the beast with a literal sword. The reference in 19:21 is the two edged sword of 1:16b and 19:15. To understand the use of this sword we read Eph 6:17b which identifies it as the "sword of the spirit which is the word of God." Closer to John's time we find in Heb. 4:12 how this two-edged sword functions in the judgment. The writer uses the sword as an analogy for the activity of the preached word of God (Gospel). The proclamation of the Gospel requires a decision for or against Christ. The word cuts through all the defenses of the human spirit (mind and heart) to judge the true person - laid bare to God. Nothing can be hidden that will not be uncovered (Mk. 4:22). In the context of John's vision the two-edged sword is the word of God which Jesus proclaimed as Good News during his ministry and that of Paul and every Christian evangelist. Those who accepted the mark of the beast instead of the mark of God are found out and judged. They are spiritually dead.  

It would seem that all that remains is to deal with the red dragon who had given his power and authority to the beasts. In what seems to be a victory too easily won, John sees an angel descend holding the key to the bottomless pit and a "great chain" (see 1:18, 9:1, 11:7; Jude 1:6; 2nd Pet. 2:4). The angel seizes the Red Dragon, throws him into the bottomless pit, locking and sealing him in. (The bottomless pit is not the lake of fire). The ancient serpent of vs.2 is the tempter-serpent of the Garden of Eden, a.k.a. Devil and Satan. The Dragon will be bound in the pit for one thousand years so that he cannot deceive the nations into worshipping the idol of the beast. However, and with no reason given, the Dragon will be let out of its imprisonment after the millennium is over. As with most of John's visions there are a variety of interpretations of the thousand years with divergences of opinions that have led to the formation of entire denominations as well as intramural condemnation of one religionist by another. Such questions as when the Satan-free Millennium of Christ's reign begins and ends and whether it is a heavenly or earthly reign and the plethora of shades of variations have occupied the minds of writers and preachers - in churches, tents, on radio, television and through the Internet. Whether this arises from pure anxiety or the lure of money -and there are millions of dollars spent and collected on this subject by hapless readers and viewers and the preachers who ply their trade. Perhaps we can be satisfied to heed the words of Jesus when he speaks to his Disciples about the events of the end time: "About that day or hour no one knows [not even] the Son. but only the Father" (Mk.13:32). If Jesus isn't enough then we can turn to 2 Peter 3:8 where the writer is contending with those who are worried about the delay of Christ's return. He answers citing the Greek Old Testament Ps. 90:4, "With the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like one day." Revelation is not concerned with times but with readiness for the time whenever it is.

In an interlude between the seizing of the Dragon and the vision of its eventual fate John sees the vision of the thousand years of peace. He sees those who are seated on thrones from which they are empowered to judge those on earth (Mt. 19:28). He sees the martyrs who had been beheaded for their resistance to worshipping the beast and having the beast's mark as a witness to Christ. They have been raised in the first resurrection to reign with Christ during the thousand years of peace - the Messianic age. Remarkably only the martyrs are raised. Their martyrdom brings them perfection such that they will not stand before the final judgment. Rather they will serve as priests (5:10; Isa. 61:6) of God and reign with Christ (vs. 4).  All others will "wait" to be raised in the second resurrection, to be judged when the thousand years are over. The second death - the lake of fire, refers to the condemnation of those who are not martyrs but have died before the Parousia. They are to be judged on the godliness of their deeds and faithfulness in resisting the worship of the beast. Certainly John means this to be a warning to the churches. While he may not assume or even encourage martyrdom for all, he holds out the second resurrection as an exhortation to remain faithful in resisting the idolatry of worshipping the image of the beast. John's vision of the two resurrections is unique in the New Testament and the contemporary Judaism. All four Gospels and the letters of Paul know of only one resurrection. It is probable that in John's enthusiasm to idealize martyrdom as the sure and instant path to heaven while still offering heaven to the continuously faithful unto death, he came to the conclusion that a second resurrection must be necessary. In our own time his belief speaks to the age old question, "What happens to me when I die" and it was on the minds of the Christians in Thessalonica who were worried about the eternal fate of believers who had already died before the Parousia. Paul's answer of reassurance did not propose two resurrections. Rather he told them that the dead in Christ would rise first but then all believers would be "taken up" immediately thereafter.

Revelation, Chapter 20: 7-10 Satan's Doom

Satan is to be released from the abyss - the pit, when the thousand years of peace is completed. With his release peace ends and war begins as Satan commences his deception to convince the world that their best hope is to be in an alliance with him. John uses the story of the battle between Gog, Magog and Israel in Ezek. 38 to describe the eschatological battle between these massive forces under the leadership of Satan and heaven. The forces surround the "camp of the saints and the beloved city." Using military terminology such as "camp of the saints with "beloved city," gives the image of the city of God in which the people of God are gathered (see Ps. 48:1-9) for John's background source). Satan has no opportunity to engage the armies of God in any final battle. Instead God's patience has run out and fire rains down from heaven to consume the gathered forces of evil. Satan stands alone against God. In the final moment - in the space between the end of evil and the beginning of good, he is no match and is cast into the lake of fire to remain there forever and ever, joining the beast of the sea and the beast of the land who had cast their lot with Satan through spiritual fornication with idolatry and against God.

Revelation, Chapter 20:11-15 The Dead are Judged

The final judgment has arrived. John envisions "a great white throne" as if suspended in space with heaven and earth having "fled" from God's presence. Standing before the throne were all the physically dead of the earth, sea, Death and Hades, assembled to hear if their names were in the book of life. Judgment was on the basis of entries in the books of deeds, godly perseverance and testimony to faith and ungodly deeds. Every person was judged based on these entries. Those who had remained faithful until the end were written in the book of life. All others, along with Death and Hades - the place of the dead, were condemned, thrown into the lake of fire - the second death which is spiritual. As with the second resurrection used as a warning for faithfulness, so the books of deeds and of life serve to remind the churches that there can be no lapse in faith, no relaxation of devotion to God. John thereby reminds them that Satan is still on the loose. The time of his confinement to the lake of fire has not yet come. He still prowls the dark corners of life, seducing anyone who would dare touch even his shadow.

October 19, 2014 Revelation Chapter 19

Revelation Chapter 19

Originally posted Saturday January 3, 2009

General Comment: As with all Empires that use their military might to expand their influence and way of life, use cheap labor and consume the resources  of other nations in order to maintain wealth and conspicuous over consumption, Babylon has fallen. The forces that brought about this fall were internal and external. The continuous expansion of defensible borders is unsustainable. Other peoples of the world will always hunger for the standard of living of the wealthy nations and seek to share in that standard, with mass migration and/or by force. The economics of the super rich layers of society living off the labor of a struggling middle class and a permanent underclass is destructive to the moral fiber and order of society. State mandated religio-political systems create dissidents who become an aggravating thorn of resistance in the otherwise smooth fabric of a unified citizenship. Of course, John sees things in a simpler way. In his vision of reality Babylon fell because she rejected God and influenced others to do the same. She worshipped deified Emperors - and other deities, forced others to accept their religious and economic world view as well as governance if they wanted to "get along," and share in the wealth and peace of Empire. Those who did not she persecuted and often killed. As a result, God's wrath fell upon an unrepentant Empire that loved its power, wealth and somniferous opiate-producing theology more than justice, a justice found only in worshipping the God of Israel.

Babylon fell, and those who relied on her for their wealth lamented. The forces of evil crouching in the wings, seeing their well being fall with her, turned on her with a fury only the supernatural forces of evil could command. The mark of the beast was not enough to save the great Babylon for the beast always and ultimately consumes its own.

Revelation, Chapter 19:1-10 Rejoicing in Heaven

What has been seen as a great and tragic loss on earth - a fallen city, is cause for rejoicing in heaven. The saints have finally been avenged (see 6:9-10). John hears another psalm poem. This one does not begin with alas, alas but with a shout of Hallelujah! The cheer goes up in celebration of the judgment which has (will) come. Judgment brings the final act of salvation. In John's view God's judgment is just on two counts. God passes sentence on Babylon's corruption of the earth with fornication - the practice of and leading others to practice idolatry. As equally deserving of God's judgment is Babylon's murder of the saints, the martyrs of John's churches, who have died for resisting the state religion and bowing to only one Lord and that being Christ, not Caesar. We understand God's judgment as being against corrupt systems not persons. God's justice demands fairness, equal treatment for all. As Paul writes, "In Christ there is not Greek or Jew, male or female, free or slave." Jesus' ministry was among individuals of all kinds of people. But his aim was to model a justice oriented kingdom where the diversity of humanity is meant to be enriching to all rather than the claiming of exclusivity of the one. If there is no justice there is no kingdom. Where there is inequality there is no justice. And we understand justice from a cosmic perspective - from God's point of view. To affirm that all people are children of God, and to affirm that creation itself is God's, makes justice a matter of access to the world's resources. It is a fair sharing in the world's resources without assumptions or human judgments regarding who is deserving and who is not. Babylon does not understand that. Greed does not understand that, nor does prejudice or religious bigotry of any kind.

The first hallelujah fades into a second. It is one of worship and praise of God by all, small or great, elders and the four creatures joining in the hallelujah chorus. The second fades into a third. Rejoicing and exultation proclaims the "marriage of the Lamb" to his bride made ready through her faithful perseverance. She is clothed in the bright and pure linen which is the "righteous deeds of [her] saints." The image of God as the bridegroom/husband and Israel as the bride is rooted in the Old Testament (see Hos.2:14-20; Isa. 62:5; Jer. 2:2). Related images appear in the New Testament as well (see Mk. 2:19-20; Jn. 3:29; 2nd Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:25-32). John envisions the Lamb/Christ as the bridegroom and the church universal as the bride. Also part of the tradition of both Testaments is the wedding feast as a portrayal of the Messianic banquet at the end of the age. The Gospel according to John has the image of this banquet in mind in his story of Jesus at the wedding in Cana of Galilee where the volume of the wine is a foretelling of the coming reign of God when everything will be in abundance. John defines the "bright and pure" linen clothing of the bride as "the righteous deeds of the saints." Generally "righteous deeds" refers to good works of love and service to one another. In Revelation such deeds are acts of faithful and exclusive worship of God and submitting to the Lordship of Christ. As the bride, John has in mind the faithful church that has not accommodated herself to any taint of pagan worship or related practices of immorality.

Revelation, Chapter 19:11-16 The Rider of the White Horse

The introduction of the end is now over. The events of the end will now begin to unfold. As with John's previous arrangement - seals, trumpets and plagues, he has arranged the end of history in seven visionary scenes beginning in chapter19:11. We should not expect strict chronology. The scenes are units in themselves, sometimes overlapping one another.

The first image is that of the rider on a white horse descending to earth. The wording is more than obvious. The rider is in the image of Christ. As is the rider of the white horse - the first of four horses of the apocalypse (6:2), this one is set out to conquer. His eyes are like a flame (1:14). "From his mouth comes a sharp sword of the Word of God with which he will strike down the nations (1:16; 2:12). He is clothed in a robe "dipped in blood," representing his sacrifice on the cross of redemption and his name is "Word of God" (Jn. 1:1). He is followed by the armies of heaven, all dressed in pure white linen and riding white horses. These are indeed arrayed for battle. If there is any doubt that the rider  is Christ, his name - "King of kings and Lord  of lords" appears on his robe and is inscribed on his thigh (in the Old Testament the petitioner who makes an oath to God before the priest grasps the thigh of the priest. Such an action was also used as a test of truth in the matter of a person being questioned as to guilt or innocence. As an opening scene we are given the mighty array of the army of God led by the conquering Christ.

Revelation, Chapter 19:17-21 The Defeat of the Beast and Its Armies

God's armies are "in the field." led by Jesus faced by the approaching armies of the beast from the sea and the kings of the earth ready to do battle (17:14; 16:16). John sees an angel "standing in the sun" who calls to the birds of the air to gather in mid-heaven (the sky) (Ezek. 39:17). The birds have been gathered for a great feast on the flesh of the armies of the beast who will perish in their battle against the Lamb. In the ensuing battle the beast from the sea and the false prophet (the beast from the land) are captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire (Dan. 7:11). The kings and all who followed the two beasts into war against the Lamb were killed by the sword of the rider on the white horse. The scene closes with the gruesome image of vultures gorging themselves with the flesh of the dead.

What we read here defies our imagination and our sense of propriety. John's vision is of the warrior Christ leading an army of angels - or the martyrs of heaven, killing the masses of the arrayed army before him. This is a slaughter credited to Jesus, the heavenly Christ who would not lift his hand to his accusers or those who drove the spike/nails into his hands and feet. What are we to make of this ravenous thirst for blood? We might understand John's images if we could identify with the situation facing the churches to which he wrote. They have suffered and are suffering. Many have been martyred because they resisted the demand to worship an idol. The Christians faced economic depravation and rejection by neighbors. They were truly aliens in the world. Perhaps John is providing the churches with a catharsis, a psychotherapeutic cleansing of the emotions. It is not unusual for oppressed and marginalize people to wish the worst for their oppressors and those they see as responsible for their perilous circumstances. The image of a valley full of the dead bodies of the enemy being devoured by vultures might release the psychic pain and allow those affected to capture the sense of their own destiny with Christ in heaven. If the death of the enemy is so brutal and results in their destruction, how sweet will be my own death even if by the sword of the state as I hold fast to the hope of the life to come.

October 18, 2014 Revelation Chapter 18

Revelation Chapter 18

Originally posted Friday January 2, 2009

Revelation, Chapter 18 The Fall of Babylon

The limited mention and extent of the final plague poured out on Babylon/Rome in16:17ff gives way to a more complete description of her ruin. In John's vision he sees an angel descending from heaven to the earth. Such was the brightness of this angel that the entire earth was made bright. John uses several Old Testament references to the fall of other great cities: Nineveh, Tyre and Babylon were all labeled as harlots. The angel speaks in the form of a lament worthy of the great prophet Isaiah. The angel - "one having great authority," announces and describes the dark images of a fallen Empire and the economic consequences to those who have profited by their adulterous relationship with the Great Whore.

Babylon/Rome is now (and has been) a place of demons, foul birds and beasts (Isa, 13:19-22, 14:23, 34:12-15). The nations, kings and merchants have "grown rich" from the resources they have sold to maintain the obscene luxury of Babylon. Therefore they share in the tragic outcome because they have been collaborators in and drank from Babylon's "golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication."

John hears another voice - this one from heaven, calling to God's people - those not having the mark of the beast, to separate themselves from the sins of Babylon and avoid the plagues falling upon her (Isa.48:20; Jer. 50:8). The call to come out of Babylon is not only an exhortation to be distanced from the mountain of sins of Babylon in some symbolic sense (Gen. 18:20). It is also a call to resist the power and influences of the authorities and any others who demand participation in anything contaminated or promoted by ungodly worship of idols, living or not. The resistance and separation are to be literal, not unnoticeable tokens. Christians may be politically citizens of Rome but their true citizenship is with God's kingdom and the ways of the former have no place in the latter.

The voice from heaven now addresses God in the form of a Psalm-prayer on behalf of those who have been called out of Babylon. The voice pleads with God to repay the oppressor with a double portion of punishment for her deeds (Ps. 137:8; Jer. 50:15). Because she lived in luxury, let her feel torment and grief. She still thinks of herself as a queen surrounded by courtiers seeking her favor (Isa. 47:7; Ezek. 28:2). Let her feel the grief of being alone,.amidst the crush of "pestilence, mourning and famine." as she is burned in the fire of God's judgment. Those kings who sought her favor and lived in luxury will see the flames and lament their loss from afar.

The vision continues with the lament of the merchants who have lost their profitable business relations with Babylon, their extensive trade in all kinds of luxurious and precious goods. They had staked their entire success on the constant delivery of heavy cargos to feed her ravenous demand for the best of everything in precious jewels, food stuffs, animals and slaves. Now it is all laid waste and lost.

It was not only the merchants, the suppliers who became rich from the splendor they provided that lost everything. It was also the ship owners who carried the cargos across the many waters to Babylon who became rich but now they have lost everything (Ezek. 27:27). Their business and their gain are in the smoke rising above the burning city. All alike, the kings, merchants and ship masters and crews had cast their lot with Babylon and have fallen with her. They sit in the ashes of their lament, weeping, mourning and crying aloud.

The vision shifts from the lamenting on earth to rejoicing in heaven for God's judgment against Babylon on behalf of the persecuted and martyred church. In a symbolic act John sees a "mighty angel" throw a large stone larger than a donkey stone into the sea. Just as the stone disappears beneath the waves Babylon will be "thrown down and will be found no more." The sound of music, the artisans working at their crafts, the grinding of wheat, the joy of newly weds has disappeared into the darkness. The blood of the saints, the prophets and all others martyred by Babylon has been avenged.

October 17, 2014 Revelation Chapter 17

Revelation Chapter 17

Originally posted Thursday January 1, 2009

Revelation, Chapter 17 The Great Whore and the Beast

Chapters 17 and 18 serve as a unit describing the fall of Babylon (Rome) and the lamentations of those who have served, profited from and accepted as normative her religious and cultural values and practices. John (and others) uses Babylon as a descriptive name that inculcates destructive Empire, exile and oppression as well as world power. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE by the Roman Army Jewish apocalyptic writers adopted Babylon not as a code word but as an apt identification of Rome with all things evil in the history of the Jews. Christian writers were quick to do the same as they reflected on the periodic persecutions and sense of being aliens within the pagan culture as the writer of 1st Peter called them. Chapter 17 is filled with visionary images and it is easy to get lost in the interplay among the several symbols John enlists to portray Rome as the object of Christian scorn. Rome is variously represented as Babylon, the scarlet beast and the great whore. Each image is symbolic of some aspect of Roman culture and the Christian certainty that all of it is coming to an end.

In 16:17 God announced the end: "It is done." The great city was shattered. The nations that lived by the dictates of Roman culture fell. The visions begin with an angel inviting John to see the judgment of Rome. The use of the feminine reference for a city was common in the Old Testament prophetic writings. Jerusalem was called virgin, a faithful and an unfaithful wife and a mother. The Assyrian Nineveh and Syrian Tyre were harlots. One particularly important female image is the goddess Roma, the avatar and embodiment of all that is Roman. She was the Roman version of the great mother goddess of the ancient Near East. There were major temples of Roma in at least three of the cities to which John writes letters early in chapters 2 and 3 - Ephesus, Pergamum and Smyrna. Roma, being a divine figure, that which she embodies - Rome, is also divine as the city of the deified Emperor. For John this goddess is nothing more than a prostitute. No matter how well dressed she was or how fine her jewelry, the:great whore that sits on many waters" was an alluring temptress by whom the kings and inhabitants of the earth became intoxicated on Roman culture, religion and profitable commercialism (John's definition of spiritual fornication).

The angel carries John into the wilderness - the place of the discernment of mysteries. There he sees the woman sitting on a "scarlet beast." The blasphemous names, seven heads and ten horns all refer to Rome (built on 7 hills with 7 deified emperors, symbolic of the full and complete complement). Written on the woman's forehead was a name the angel calls a mystery. The mystery is defined by her subtitles, each descriptive of her guilt in Rome's killing of the saints and the witnesses of chapter 11.

John was "greatly amazed" by what he saw. His amazement appears to have placed him in the same position as those the woman has seduced to become part of "Babylon the Great." Indeed, the temptation to be seduced in the real world was potent. Being an ally of Rome meant great wealth for the upper classes and political aristocracy. It meant the opening of vast markets for raw materials and agricultural products to feed a hungry Rome and supply her army. So what if it came with a price tag of adopting and supporting Roman culture including worshipping a divine Emperor? If that's what it takes to get up in the world, so what? There were plenty of slaves and dispossessed land owners to do the work. Sometimes you just have to go along to get along, right? This was, of course, what John saw as the greatest threat to his churches It was the temptation to fit in, to get along by doing minimally what would make them invisible to the watchful eyes of their neighbors and government officials. It would be easy to slip into behavior that seemed innocent enough. Going to markets and banks in the precincts of the temples seemed harmless enough. And who would really mind if a bit of incense was burned on the altar at the next union meeting of the guild? John wanted the churches to see Rome as he did - "holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her [ungodly rejection of the true God]."

The angel is quick to define the meaning of what John's vision has presented. It is not as amazing as John thinks. The scarlet beast is now the folk tale of Nero who "was and is not" (he committed suicide) and is about to return from the bottomless pit and be destroyed. There is also a warning to the churches in this somewhat cryptic reference. When the beast/Nero "was," there was significant persecution and martyrdom within the Christian communities. While he "is not" (in the abyss?) persecution has been limited and the churches could become complacent in the rigor of their faith practices. When the pressure eases, the attention to discipline declines. John responds to this possibility by reminding the churches of the coming time when persecution could increase. Thus John's vision becomes an exhortation to purity and faithfulness at all times as Jesus' story of the thief that comes at night should remind them. Unlike those who are followers of the beast and bear his mark, the churches should not be amazed when the beast returns and persecution returns with a vengeance. Even so, the beast who brings it will be destroyed in the end.

Vss. 9-14 present a review of what we have already read - albeit, more confusing. The first part is simple: the seven heads are the Seven Hills of Rome on which the woman sits. They also are the seven kings - with seven meaning a complete but not literal number. Although many valiant attempts have been made and many trees used to record the speculations, It is impossible to sort out the cryptic comments of those who have fallen, who are living, and are yet to come, and just how the eighth belongs to the seven? It is doubtful the search for an answer will ever cease, particularly as long as interpreters make the fundamental error of taking John's presentation of numbers literally. The base number seven does not mean seven (e.g. the seven churches of chapters 2 and 3 are a symbol for all churches of the world). It is a symbolic number for completeness. It represents the complete, full line of Roman Emperors that have been, are now and will be. John's visionary experience tells him that this line is about to come to an end. His visions are based on the events of his own time and not ours. He is not making predictions for some distant future. The Church is being persecuted by a certain set of evil forces. God's justice will bring about an end to these forces and God's kingdom will appear. This is what John wants the churches of the first century to know and to be ready for.

Taking all the forces together, John sees a final battle on the horizon. It will be a battle between all that is evil and the Lamb "and the Lamb will conquer them." The chapter closes with more irony than John could possibly imagine. Those "kings" of the nations who have been seduced by the woman seated on the scarlet beast join forces with the beast to destroy the "great whore of Babylon." The greater irony is that, as John sees it, evil has become an instrument by which God's purpose can be fulfilled. Perhaps John has glimpsed a significant truth: evil ultimately destroys itself. The Roman Empire did fall with external forces made more powerful by the inner corruption of the Roman ethos.