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.

October 16, 2014 Revelation Chapter 16

Revelation Chapter 16

Originally posted Wednesday December 31, 2008

Revelation, Chapter 16 The Bowls of God's Fury

The executing of the final series of tribulation woes begins with a loud voice from inside the Sanctuary (Holy of Holies) signaling the angels to "go" and pour out the seven plagues of God's fury upon the earth. As we read through these seven plagues we will note that the entire earth is affected, not just one third or one fourth as the previous series were. That the whole cosmos is affected is a sign of the judgment in which the whole world is cleansed of its contamination by the dragon. John understands this final drama as the fulfilling of God's justice in a world of injustice (Ps. 97:2). The unjust are those who have persecuted and killed the saints, who have used the sword to conquer nations and set up a false religion based on the deification of evil in human form.  

First plague: All those who have the mark of the beast and worshipped its image were covered with foul and painful sores (Exod. 9:9-11).

Second plague: The sea becomes like blood and all life within it has died (Exod. 7:17-18).

Third plague: All the rivers and springs become blood. This plague evokes the song of the angel of water praising God's judgment as just. As the blood of the saints and prophets was shed those who shed it are given blood to drink (Exod. 24:25). Even the altar of the heavenly tabernacle upon which the blood of the martyrs has been offered affirms the justice of God's judgment.

Fourth plague: The first three plagues have been loosed directly against the entire earth. The fourth plague uses an element of the Cosmos. The sun is used as an agent of delivery, allowing it to "scorch "them" with fire." We probably are meant to understand "them" in the context of the first and third plagues - those with the mark of the beast and those who shed the blood of the saints and prophets and got "what they deserve." Those who experienced the fourth plague remained unrepentant and refused to understand God's act as one of justice against them.

Fifth plague: The fifth plague is aimed directly at the "throne [and kingdom] of the beast" from the sea, creating absolute darkness which created mass confusion and fear. As with those who were scorched by the sun were unrepentant, all those who belonged to the beast would not repent. Instead they cursed God "because of their pains and sores" from the first plague.

Sixth plague: This plague is upon the Euphrates River, causing it to dry up. As the drying up of the Jordan river allowed Joshua to lead the Israelites into Canaan to take the land from the idolatrous Canaanites, so John envisions the drying up of the Euphrates which will allow the dreaded Parthians (kings from the east) to prepare an invasion against the Roman Empire (see 9:14). But this is larger than Parthians versus Romans. John is giving a graphic image of all the forces of evil including the dragon, the two beasts and all who serve them to be used by God as part of the final judgment. The unclean demonic spirits (frogs) that issue forth from the mouths of the evil trinity and do their bidding, use signs (miracles) to deceive and assemble all the kings of the world in preparation for the last battle "on the great day of God's [judgment]" (Amos 5:18-20; Mal. 3:1-2). The battle is to be fought at har magedon. The Hebrew word for the location of the assembly of the "kings of the whole world" refers to the "mountain of Megiddo," a place not mentioned in the Old Testament or in any other Jewish writings. An Old Testament reference in Zech.12:11 is as close to this as can be found. It is the fortified city of "Megiddo" in a pass of the same name connecting the coastal plain of Palestine with the Plain of Esdraelon in northern Israel. In later Jewish writings this city became a symbol of the location of the arrival of the Day of the Lord (the cleansing of Israel). The problem with this location is that there is no mountain associated with it. John probably uses a name familiar to his readers because of the Zechariah reference and because it was the site of a number of significant ancient battles (Judg. 5:19-21; 2 Kings 9:27, 23:29). It would be an appropriate setting to place the final  conflict between God and Satan. One other difficulty to be considered is that there is no final battle between the Roman Empire and the "kings of the whole world" and/or the kings of the east (Parthians) in Revelation. The symbolic battle of the end will be between Christ and the assembled forces of evil (19:11ff).

John uses a familiar saying of Jesus which stresses the need for vigilance in anticipation of this Day of the Lord which will come unexpectedly as a thief in the night. (Mt. 24:43). Unlike so many supposed Biblical experts not even Jesus ventured to predict the end of the age. What he did stress was the importance - always and when that time came, of being found busy doing the godly works of kindness, justice, compassion and love. As far as he was concerned this was more important than any doctrine. For the people of faith, what you do is more important than the particulars of what you believe. 

Seventh plague: The last of the plagues is "poured...into the air" followed by a loud voice from God's throne within the Sanctuary. The voice declared, "It is done." The woes of the tribulation have ended and the final destruction of evil Babylon (Rome) has begun. The voice is attended by the usual sounds of majesty associated with God and the throne - lightening, rumblings, thunder and a mighty earthquake of exceptionally violent proportions. With the earthquake Babylon, the great city, crumbles and all the cities of the nations which served the beast and worshipped its idol also fell. With a giant wide screen, high definition spectacle "God remembered great Babylon and poured out the "wine cup" of God's fury. The Islands flee; the mountains disappear; and hundred-pound hailstones fall from heaven. The response of a world so locked in its intransigence even in the face of God's fury is to curse God for the fearful plague "poured into the air."

As we consider the seven plagues combined with the devastation and death meted out in the opening of the seven seals and blowing of the seven trumpets, we may need to be reminded once again of the symbolic/mythical nature of John's visions. John has one absolute aim: to exhort the churches of western Asia Minor to refute and resist even unto death involvement in and accommodation of the Roman Imperial cult of Emperor worship and the failed cultural values such worship requires. His visions are "as ifs" to be heeded and transformed into the power to faithfully persevere no matter the cost. 

October 15, 2014 Revelation Chapter 15

Revelation Chapter 15

Originally posted Tuesday December 30, 2008

Revelation, Chapter 15 The Angels with the Seven Plagues

Chapter 15 and 16 constitute a single unit. Chapter 15 introduces the last series of seven events of the tribulation that are described in chapter 16. Chapter 16 marks the finale, the end of the tribulations preceding the fall of Babylon/Rome. While the first series of seven described the opening of the seven seals of the scroll by the Lamb, the second (trumpets) and third series (bowls/plagues) are introduced by angels - messengers of God. It is important to note that in one or more of these disasters it is not clear if the impact is on believers as well as non believers as it was in the previous two series of woes. In general the wording implies that these plagues are aimed at the worshippers of the beast - a generalized term for those who have accommodated themselves to the Roman Imperial religion of deified Emperors and other deities. Some of these worshippers may be associated with John's churches.

Chapter fifteen serves as both a heavenly worship celebration of victory and an introduction to the seven plagues. John's vision of the seven angels with seven plagues/bowls sees this series as the last of "the [generalized] wrath of God (15:1)." There will be more of God's wrath to come but it will be directed at Rome, Satan and those who serve him. The opening scene is in heaven by the sea of glass mixed with fire (4:6). As with other parts of John's visions the content of this vision is derived from the Exodus experience of Israel. In the Exodus story a number of plagues preceded the escape from the evil god-man Pharaoh across the Red Sea (Sea of Reeds). Once the Israelites had crossed the Sea they stood by the shore and sang the song of Moses celebrating the victory of God's defeat of the Egyptians. In Exodus the sea is the water of deliverance in which Israel can see the ultimate fulfilling of God's covenant with Abraham. Now they are on God's side of the sea. In John's vision the martyr church of 7:1-8 and 14:1-5 that has conquered the beast is gathered by the transparent "sea of glass mixed with fire" through which they see the coming age of God's kingdom. They are standing with God's harps on God's side of the Sea of Glass and Fire before the throne of God (4:6) rejoicing and praising and glorifying God with the song of Moses (Exod. 15:1-5) and the Lamb. The song refers to the nations in two phrases. In vs. 3 God is called the King of the nations (some manuscripts have "King of the ages"). Elsewhere Christ has a similar title and kingship is shared with God. In vs. 4 "all the nations will come and worship before [God]. This is an important reference to Isaiah's understanding of universal salvation which means that when God transforms the world and gathers Israel all nations of the world will come to worship God (Isa. 66:23 as interpreted by later Judaism).

The vision returns to the seven angels. John sees them coming out of the opened sanctuary of the heavenly tabernacle (tent) dressed in the garments of the priests and in response to the song of Moses and the Lamb. They carry with them seven Sanctuary offering bowls from which they will pour out the seven plagues (the fury of God) upon the earth. The image of a Sanctuary full of smoke (cloud) such that no one could enter refers to the Shekinah, the manifestation of the presence of God (Exod. 40:34-35). The offering bowls can be understood in two ways: as the bowls used to carry away the ashes from the altar of burnt offering or as bowls in which incense was burned within the Sanctuary. The latter seems to be the case here since the altar of burnt offerings stands outside the sanctuary. That being the case the bowls referred to were used in conjunction with the prayers of the People of Israel rising up to God in the smoke of the incense. For John the incense carries the prayers of the saints petitioning God with the oft repeated petition, "Let your kingdom come; let your will be done on earth as in heaven." The final set of seven plagues poured from the seven bowls may be understood as God's response to these prayers.

October 14, 2014 Revelation Chapter 14

Revelation Chapter 14

Originally posted Monday December 29, 2008

General Comment: In chapter 13 John has envisioned the difficult social and religious situation that will face the churches of western Asia Minor. The beast from the land (Emperor worship and its priesthood) has been empowered to "make the earth and its inhabitants" worship the beast from the sea - the returned Nero. The mark (seal) of this second Beast has been placed on all who belong to it and look to it for salvation and judgment. Those without this mark cannot enter the economic functions of buying and selling. While none of this is to be taken literally, John presents the visions as a warning to those who might think it is harmless to accommodate any form of participation in pagan religious rites and cultural values. This would not be as easy as it sounds. Many Christians were members of trade guilds - stone masons, carpenters, weavers, metal workers, etc., similar to trade unions but without the right to strike or negotiation. Part of being in the guild was to participate in the regular functions which would include worshipping the gods (and Emperor) and "fitting in" with mainstream society. Those who entered into contracts or legal disputes would have to do so in Roman courts. Christians were likely to find little justice (favorable judgment) there. They would be at a distinct disadvantage because of their religious practices which separated them from their pagan neighbors and fellow workers. If this reality of how their life is now difficult, John uses the vision of a new Nero who will return and begin a new and more deadly reign of terror among the Christians, those who do not have the mark of the Beast. In chapter 14 John will compare the salvation and judgment offered by the Beast from the sea with that which is offered by the Lamb of God.

Revelation, Chapter 14:1-5 The Lamb and the 144,000

In a new vision ("then I looked") John sees the Lamb standing on Mount Zion - the location of the destroyed Temple in Jerusalem. Mount Zion is the Old Testament site of the gathering place of the new Israel and God's deliverance (Isa. 2; Mic. 4; Ps. 46:5). In later Jewish tradition the Messiah will arrive on Mount Zion to usher in the reign (kingdom) of God. For John it represents the people of God. With the Lamb are the symbolic 144,000 righteous who had been sealed on earth from among the twelve tribes of Israel (7:4-8) and have the Lamb's and God's name on their foreheads (the seal). The image of those who are sealed is John's assurance to the churches that those who persevere in their faith/righteousness will share the same redemption as the 144,000.

Amid the heavenly sounds associated with God are heard the notes of harpists in accompaniment to the singing of a new song learned only by the redeemed 144,000 (Ps. 144:9). Their righteousness is defined by their not having been "defiled with women, for they are virgins." It would be easy to misunderstand John's association of sexual contact with women as defilement. John has used military terms to picture the saints as the army of God (7:1-8) that are part of the battle against evil. In the Old Testament we read that those under arms (and serving as priests) were to abstain from sexual contact while in service to the king (1 Sam. 21:4-5; 2 Sam. 11:10-11). Paul recommends sexual abstinence "for a season" for spiritual discipline - much like fasting. That there were those who taught the requirement for sexual abstinence in the last days is evident in 1 Tim. 4:1-5 where the writer acknowledges such teachings as false and against God's will. A better understanding would be in terms of spiritual adultery, unfaithfulness to God by worshipping idols. For John anyone who participated in worship of the Beast (Emperor) or any other god would be committing adultery and be thereby be defiled.

Revelation, Chapter 14:6-13 Messages of the Three Angels

John's next vision ("then I saw") consists of three angels flying in succession in mid-heaven (in the sky). The first announces the "eternal good news" to all the earth that now is the time for giving glory to God (and not to the Beast) for God's judgment has come (see Mk. 1:15 for an early example of "the time"). John appropriately uses "good news" as a counter point to its use in the Imperial cult to announce the words and mighty deeds of the Emperor to whom the worshippers give praise and glory. The second angel announces that "Babylon the great" has fallen (Isa. 21:9; Jer. 51:6-7). Babylon is the widely used metaphor for Rome. As God is credited with the fall of Babylon and the release of the Jews from their captivity, so John envisions that God has caused the fall of Rome as part of judgment. Included in God's judgment and wrath are "all the nations" which have been made to "drink of the wine of [Rome's] fornication," worshipping the Beast instead of God. The third angel shouts out the terrible fate of those who bear the mark of the Beast and worship its image. "The wine of God's wrath" that is " poured into "the cup of [God's] anger" is described in terms of sulfur and eternal fire - a metaphorical representation of hell. The image has little scriptural support but is widely used in some circles to "motivate" confessions of faith when the message of God's love in Christ is deemed insufficient. While some use John's words to fashion doctrines of the fate of "outsiders" his primary purpose is that of a warning to the "insiders" who ponder the question of just how terrible it can be to join some friends in an occasional bit of idol worship. John's answer is, "you have no idea." It is an exhortation to avoid any level of association with such pagan practices.

John interprets the three announcements as a warning and a promise to the churches. What is necessary in the face of God's judgment is their endurance, keeping God's commandments and "holding fast to their faith in Jesus." According to the voice of the Spirit from heaven this endurance and perseverance will lead to a blessing for those who "die in the Lord," with their uncompromising, unadulterated, unsoiled faith intact. Such as these will "rest from their labors" and be blessed by the godliness of their deeds. In view of the theme of the next passage, John has in mind those who have been martyred because of their endurance until death.

Revelation, Chapter 14:14-20 Reaping the Earth's Harvest

The angel of vs. 7 announced that God's judgment has come. In this passage we read John's vision in which the judgment is described in agricultural terms as two harvests: one of wheat and the other a vineyard harvest. In this vision John sees "one like the Son of man" seated on a cloud" (Dan. 7:13), a clear reference to Jesus' role as the agent of judgment emphasized in all four Gospels (Mt. 26:63-64). He is wearing a golden crown and holds a sharp sickle. An angel comes out of the heavenly temple calling upon the "one who sat on the cloud" to use his sickle because the "harvest of the earth is fully ripe" (the judgment has come). As the first of two harvests, the second being for grapes, this one is the grain harvest - the first fruits of the earth (see vs.4-5). It is represented by the symbolic completeness of 144,000 on earth who were sealed (7:1-8) and gathered into God's kingdom.

The second harvest of the judgment has often been a stumbling block for many readers of Revelation. Its graphic image of bridle-deep blood covering approximately 125,664 square miles, is so gruesome the very thought of it is repulsive. Little wonder this image has led so many to reject a God who is presented as the God who loves the world. When coupled with the image of eternal suffering in the fire of hell the Christian religion becomes more about fear than love. One of our difficulties rests in the difference between the literal and the metaphorical or symbolic. John's (and others') visions are not doctrines. They are hyperbolic comparisons between life with God and life without God. John's visions establish the widest possible set of opposites - hell or heaven, where hell is existence apart from God.

Perhaps we can assuage the anguish of making sense of a blood soaked earth by reading the text and related passages more closely. One key is found in vs. 13 which introduces the blessedness of the dead who from now on die in the Lord. "From now on" is a reference to John's expectation of mass martyrdom as a product of the times of tribulation/judgment before the end. As God presses the assault on the dragon the attacks on the saints increase. This is apparent in his visions of the two beasts who have received the authority and power of the dragon. It is especially so with the first beast who is "allowed to make war on the saints and conquer (kill) them." The "gathering of the clusters of the vine" where the vine, as in Isa. 5:1-7 (also Jer. 2:21; Ezek. 19:10) represents God's people, is the gathering of the martyrs whose blood has been shed by the beast. It is their blood that is the product of the winepress "of the wrath of God." One other important key is found in vs. 20 where the winepress is located "outside the city." The reference is to the place of crucifixion outside of Jerusalem's city walls. It is the place of blood, specifically Jesus' blood and his death as a martyr on the cross. It is also the place that Christian tradition calls Christians to gather and to suffer with Christ (Heb. 13:11-14). We see here a clear connection between the winepress and the blood of the martyrs. One other reference that may be helpful is In Mt 21:33-41, Jesus' parable of the wicked tenants. At the end of the parable the vine owner's son is sent to gather the harvest. He is thrown "outside the vineyard" and killed by the evil tenants. The allegorical meaning is transparent and those of John's churches whose blood has been and will be shed outside John's visionary city have shared in Christ's death and blessed for having "died in the Lord,"