October 13, 2014 Revelation Chapter 13

Revelation Chapter 13

Originally posted Friday December 26, 2008

Revelation, Chapter 13 The Two Beasts

General Comment: The Red Dragon - Satan, and his forces have been defeated in the heavenly conflict with the Archangel Michael. They have been cast down upon the earth where they will now carry their battle directly to the children of the woman - in this case the faithful Christians of John's churches. But Satan has allies. John's vision includes two symbolic beasts who will be the agents of Satan in his earthly assault on the Church. Taken together they represent what some writers call a counterfeit or evil trinity as if John had envisioned a direct comparison with God, Christ and the Holy Spirit. At best a way to understand the comparison - in the symbolism of vision, is as an intentional mockery of God, God's saving act through Christ and God's prophetic word through the Spirit.

The two agents of Satan - one from the sea and the other from the earth (later called the false prophet), are representative of the two primordial monsters of Jewish myth: Leviathan (sea monster) and Behemoth (land monster). These two monster/beasts are significant figures of evil in the major Jewish apocalyptic writings of Enoch, Esdras and Baruch, known to and adapted by John. As in Daniel, John uses the beasts as symbols of empire. For Daniel the beast represented the Greek/Seleucid Empire of Antiochus Epiphanies IV and those that preceded it. In John the two beasts represent the Roman Empire: its Imperial cult established around the Emperors (lords) - as a mockery of Christ (Lord), and its local/provincial officials - as a mockery of the Spirit, who support,  promote and maintain the cult of the Emperor.

The Beast from the Sea 13:1-10

The Beast that rises from the sea is John's composite symbol of the Roman Empire that crosses the sea to invade and subjugate other lands (in John's case, Asia Minor). John's reference to the physical characteristics of the Beast in terms of three wild animals is from Dan. 7:3-7. In Daniel there are four wild animals corresponding to the Empires which had subjugated Israel: Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian and Greek which in later Judaism was changed to Rome). The seven heads of the Beast are both the Seven Hills of Rome and the seven Emperors beginning with Nero (17:9-10). The Beast receives the power and authority of the Dragon (12:3, 13:2b) represented by the equivalent number of ten horns with diadems (crowns of power and authority Dan. 7:1-8). The names on the seven heads are blasphemous. They are not the names of the seven Emperors. Rather they are Imperial titles that mock titles given to Christ - Lord, divine Son of God and savior of the world. These titles were applied by and to the Emperors and appeared on their coins and monument inscriptions. John makes this reference clear to the churches with the specific and well known circumstances associated with the Emperor Nero. He was the first Emperor to persecute the church, executing many including Peter and Paul. Nero is the "One [head] that seemed to have received a mortal wound" (a parody on the slaughtered Lamb). Nero committed suicide by plunging a knife into his throat. John's reference to the healing of the wound reflects a well known folk tradition that Nero did not die and would return to continue his murderous persecution of Christians (hence, Nero Residivous). Note the mockery - Nero/beast and Christ both have mortal wounds and both are alive. In John's vision "the whole earth" is amazed by the healing of the mortal wound and they followed the beast, worshipping it as well as the Dragon. They asked the question, "Who can fight against it?" The "whole earth" chose sides against God and picked what they thought was a winner.

Such a widely known allusion to Nero demonstrates how transparent much of John's political symbolism is. There is no mistaking John's intent to draw the sharpest distinction between the false divinity and lordship of the Roman Emperors and the true divinity and exclusive Lordship of Christ. John treads a dangerous path by proclaiming the true kingdom of God and the true Son of God over against the Roman Empire and its Imperial power - the enemies of God. For John, Nero residivous is represented by the presumed divine Emperor Domitian. That his readers understood the dangers and yet remained faithful in the face of death is a noble testament to their courage, hope and faith.

The Beast from the sea "was allowed" by divine Providence, authority for forty months (the time of tribulation). John wants to be very clear that Satan - the Dragon, is the source of the Beast's - the Emperor's, authority and power. But God has to allow that authority to be exercised by the Beast. God does so because, in John's view, this is all part of the tribulation preceding judgment. The Beast utters blasphemies against God's name and against those dwelling in heaven (vs. 6b). It is "allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them" with the sword. John's use of "conquer" in this context makes evident his differentiation of a Christian who conquers through non-resistant godliness and martyrdom and the Beast (Roman Imperial power) who conquers by violence. The Beast's authority is so all-encompassing that all the inhabitants of earth except those whose faith has persevered will worship it (all those whose name has not been written in the book of life Dan. 12:1). Vs. 10 is derived and loosely adapted from Isa. 14:2c. It speaks to the churches of the inevitable possibility of imprisonment and martyrdom of those who endure in their faith and do not give in to the pressure of paganism - particularly as it is expressed in Emperor worship of Domitian.

The Beast from the Land 13:11-18

If the Beast from the sea represents the divine Imperial power of Rome then the Beast from the land represents the official structure of the Imperial cult in charge of maintaining and encouraging the worship of the Emperor as a god. These were the provincial functionaries and civic leaders as well as the wealthy who promoted the building and maintenance of Temples to the divine Emperors. They also were the officiating priests of these Temples, the "false prophets" who encouraged public worship of and sacrifices to the Emperors This Beast derives its power from the first Beast (Emperor), speaking and acting on its behalf. John makes this arrangement clear in vs. 12 in that this beast makes humanity (encourages through false teaching) worship the Beast from the sea - the Emperor represented by Nero residivous. We should keep in mind - as John has, the Apollo connection between Nero and Domitian, both having fashioned their divine self-understanding after this god of light. This Beast from the land is allowed to use heavenly signs and wonders as a means of deception by which others are enticed to construct an image of the Beast from the sea, specified again as Nero residivous. This image was given breath (spirit) and speech with which to threaten the death of those who would not worship it.

The Beast from the land is also empowered to have every one of all stations of the social structure who worship the Beast marked on the right hand or forehead with the mark of the first beast (compare with 14:1). This mark controls economic and social commerce, creating difficulties for any who are not marked. A person's worship of the Beast becomes public with a form of identification which defines the person as belonging to the Beast set against those who have the name of the Lamb and God on their foreheads. Christians are cut off from typical sources of food. Much of the distribution and selling of food was done through the Temples. Some Temples were equipped with places for vendors as well as what we would call restaurants. The Christian would not purchase food under those circumstances and had to make do as they could, finding other sources without being detected.

John adds a detail that has interested every generation of Christians since the end of the first century. John refers to the mark of the Beast as the "name of the Beast or the number of its name."  In Judaism every letter is assigned a number. The use of such a system, called Gematria, in mystical, interpretive and prophetic studies of the Old Testament has been applied since the century before Jesus' birth. However, Its use is centuries older - as far back as the 8th century BCE. The book The Bible Code, written in 1997 by Michael Drosnin and its sequel The Bible Code II, stirred up considerable interest in this ancient method alleging there were hidden messages in the Hebrew Bible, specifically the Torah. With this system Drosnin predicted the Parousia would happen in 2006. Others - after that date, used it to predict a date 0f 2012. John is not interested in predictions of the future or verifications of past events. His concern is to identify the Beast from the sea. by the number of its name. Using the application of letters for numbers John derives the number 666 as the mark of the beast on the right hand or forehead of all who belong to the Beast. Taking the three numbers, the numerical equivalent in Hebrew is Nero. If we apply the same method with Greek letters the result is 616, which gives the name Neron, the Greek word for Nero. We need only note the consistent evidence of the first Beast being related to the head of one with a mortal wound and see John's understanding that this is Nero.

  

October 12, 2014 Revelation Chapter 12

Revelation Chapter 12

Originally posted Wednesday December 24, 2008

Revelation, Chapter 12:1-6 The Woman and the Dragon

John introduces a new vision with a new cast of characters. Although this vision is new and takes us in another direction, it is understood as a retrospective view of the cosmic/earthly events that have come before the pronouncement of 11:15which acknowledges that the kingdom of the world has always been ruled by God and now this reign is shared with the Messiah. The events of Chapter 12 represent the desperate state of affairs in the world because of the resistance of the forces of evil against God's people, both the old and new Israel.

To interpret the significance of the drama taking place between the woman and the red dragon we need to understand the Greek mythology on which the vision is based and which would be known to every Greek and Roman child. We will recall that Domitian, the Emperor during the time in which Revelation was written, styled himself after the god Apollo. The island of Patmos where John was in exile is close to the island of Delos, where Apollo the son of Zeus and Leto was born. The dragon Python the demon and guardian of the abyss of Delphi rebelled against Zeus and sought to kill the child so Leto fled. When Apollo grew he returned to Delphi and killed the dragon. The ancient myth is part of the lore of many cultures representing the warfare of the forces of chaos, darkness and death with the divine powers of light, order, and life. It is the classic tale of good versus evil on the cosmic level. The myth was adopted and adapted by Roman Emperors who played the role of Apollo bringing political order and peace (Pax Romana) through military victory over the enemies of the gods. Nero erected statues of himself fashioned as a god after Apollo the god of light. The Roman citizen could identify with the characters in the presentation. The woman is the goddess Roma, queen of heaven; the Emperor is the divine son of Apollo who establishes order and the dragon is the power of chaos who opposes goodness and peace.

John has used the mythical characters known to Christians as well as Hellenistic Jews and pagans to portray the age old battle between the serpent (Python) and the people of God, between good and evil. As Christians we will be tempted to see the woman in hard labor as Mary and the son who will rule as Jesus the Messiah who is taken up into heaven. John has identified the red dragon/serpent as Satan (vs.9). We could point to the story of Jesus' birth as told in Matthew. The child Jesus is hunted by the evil king Herod and an angel warns Joseph who flees with mother and child to Egypt (the desert). We could tell the story of Jacob's (Israel's) children traveling to Egypt where their offspring became slaves to the Pharaoh/serpent but were delivered by God and escaped into the desert. In John's vision the woman is this and more than this. She is no less than Eve, the mother of all humanity that has been the hunted prey of the prowling serpent since the Garden of Eden. She is represented as the queen of heaven, clothed with the sun, wearing a crown of twelve stars. Her birthpangs are the times of tribulation - the human struggle waiting for the time of judgment (Rom. 8:22; Isa. 66:7).

The red dragon, as noted by John, is Satan. He represents all the historic forces of evil. He is Ephesians' "principalities, powers, rulers of the present darkness and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." He is Paul's "prince of the power of the air." He is the Old Testament's Leviathan, the enemy of light. He seeks to devour the children of Eve throughout the ages. John represents his power with Daniel's beast of ten horns (Dan. 7:7) and the seven heads of the ancient chaos monster of Mesopotamian mythology. He is so large and powerful that a swish of his tail sweeps away a third of the stars. Taken together the dragon becomes the metaphor for all the forces opposed to God since the beginning of time.

The dragon attempts to devour the woman's son who is destined to reign over all nations (Ps. 2:9). But he is saved and taken up into heaven. The woman flees into the wilderness and is protected by God for 1,260 days, the symbolic time of the tribulation. Here John extends the role of the woman and she becomes the church, the ideal community of God's children in the wilderness as the faithful who are sealed and thus protected through the tribulation and possibly martyrdom.

Revelation, Chapter 12:7-12 Michael Defeats the Dragon

God's act in saving the child and hiding the mother provokes a war in heaven between Michael with his angels and the dragon with his demon angels. Michael wins the war and the dragon, along with his demon angels, are cast out of heaven and "thrown down to the earth." The heavenly victory erupts into a celebration of the defeat of the dragon/Satan. Salvation (judgment) and the power of the kingdom of God under the authority of Christ have come and the "accuser" (Job 1:9; Zech. 3:1) of the faithful has been conquered through their testimony (witness) to Christ even unto death. There is a down side to this casting out of the dragon and his minions. The heavenly war of good versus evil comes to earth.

Revelation, Chapter 12:13-18 The Dragon Fights Against the Earth

The woman who has been in the protective wilderness is now the faithful church continuing to witness to her faith in Christ. She has now become the prey of the fallen angels. The defeated dragon pursues her but once again she escapes back to the protective wilderness, this time with the assistance of two great eagle's wings (Exod. 19:4). In an attempt to sweep her away a great flood of water came from the dragon's mouth (an adaptation of Isa. 59:19) but the earth itself opens and swallows the river. With this second defeat the dragon turns his attention to the woman's "children," the faithful community who live godly lives following God's commandments and persevering in their faith in Christ.

The war against the woman/community of the faithful is not yet over. The final judgment has not yet been fulfilled. The dragon/Satan has allies - two beasts, one from the sea and one from the earth. The battle intensifies.

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Note:

All Jewish and Christian apocalyptic literature, including Revelation, has as its guiding world view the overwhelming presence of evil in the world - the reign of Satan, in conflict with the human remnant of the godly faithful. The struggle is seen in cosmic proportions with the forces of God arrayed against the forces of Satan. Humanity has a limited impact in deciding the outcome. God and Satan are the major players and the total number of adherents to one or the other is irrelevant to the outcome. The outcome has already been decided. John would say it was decided before the battle began. The outcome will be in God's favor. It will accrue to the remnant faithful that perseveres, that refuses, even on pain of exile, rejection by society and family, marginalization, abandonment or death, to accommodate themselves to the world's prevailing standards and values. Those who "cling" to faith, who see a higher calling to the reign of God in and through Christ, and believe that true righteousness is not defined by doctrinal lists but is "doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with God" will, as John puts it, conquer the world and walk with Christ.

October 11, 2014 Revelation Chapter 11

Revelation Chapter 11

Originally posted Tuesday December 23, 2008

Revelation, Chapter 11:1-14 The Two witnesses

The "mighty angel" of 10:1 has sworn by an oath in the name (and therefore the authority) of God that there will be no further delay in God's final act of judgment/salvation now to be revealed. In preparation for that moment, John has been given a "measuring rod" with instructions to measure the heavenly Sanctuary and the Altar (Ezek. 40:33ff; Zech. 2:1-4; Ps. 79:1). The Sanctuary was the Holy of Holies and the Altar was the great Altar of Holocausts which stands before the sanctuary within the court of the Israelites. John is told not to measure the outer court, referring to the Court of the Gentiles who were not allowed into the Court of the Israelites. This court was surrounded by a wall approximately six feet tall. According to Josephus, at regular intervals there were stone slabs, some inscribed in Geek and others in Latin, on which was inscribed "No foreigner is to go beyond the balustrade (wall) and the plaza of the Sanctuary zone. Whoever is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his death."

The term "measuring rod" has nothing to do with size, as if John were being asked to calculate the area of the heavenly Sanctuary for reproduction on earth. The contextual meaning here is that of sealing those who are in the inner court, the church, and is similar to the sealing described in 7:1-4. What is being measured is the faithfulness of those within the church who will be "protected" in the tribulation. They are not protected from persecution or death but are kept secure in their final victory. The rod or reed of measuring comes from the word, "canon" as in the Canon of the New Testament - the authorized 27 books included therein. The Canon is the inclusive measure of the basis of the Christian's faith and nothing "outside" the Canon is acceptable. In John's vision, no one outside of the court of the Sanctuary is within the measurement - they are not sealed.

The voice adds the reason for the limiting of the measuring. The outer court (outside the Sanctuary) has been left to the Gentiles. In this use, Gentile non-Christians are usually meant. However, John certainly would include among those who are not sealed "those who say they are Jews and are not." (2:9). The Greek word for Gentiles is "ethnos" as in "ethnic" group. All non-Jews were called Gentiles. The outer court - all that is not the Sanctuary - has been "given over" to these Gentiles who will "trample over Jerusalem for forty two months." John has in mind a very specific group of Gentiles, those under the authority of the Roman Army. He is bringing forward the memory of the destruction of Jerusalem and the entire Temple in 70 CE. Forty two months,1260 days or 3 1/2 years are not literal or symbolic predictions to be analyzed in some numerological scheme (Dan 8:14). They simply refer to the time until the end as a finite length of time to give the reassurance that the tribulation will only last so long and God will end it. This is an important message to the churches that are in the midst of persecution and martyrdom. It is meant to bolster the Churches' resolve to persevere, to stand firm in the faith through this time of hardship and the temptation to waver.

Coincident with the trampling of Jerusalem and the outer court two of God's prophets have been given authority to prophesy there for 1,260 days (42 months with a month being 30 days). Again, John is recalling the events of the last few days before the Temple was destroyed. The Jewish Zealots withstood the Romans for some time (the war began in 66 CE). During the last days before the city and Temple fell the Zealot prophets continued to prophesy that God would intervene at any moment and deliver the Temple from the unclean hands of the Romans. They, as we so often do, thought of God as a shield against bad things happening to good people. Their cause was righteous and noble but they perished without the deeper spiritual insight that God does not keep us from harm no matter how "good" we are or how strong our faith is. God protects us through harm and not from it. Those who understand this truth - no matter the outcome, know they are God's in all things and at all times.

The two prophets are designated as the two olive trees and two lampstands that stand before God. The interpretation of these two metaphors is complex. A number of known Biblical characters have been tapped as one or the other of these two prophets. The choices may speak to identifying figures popular in the church of the time. But to stress the identification too far is to miss the point John is making. The two prophets are the church doing what the church is suppose to be doing - standing in fearless witness against the forces of the State, real or presumed. In that light the two could be Peter and Paul who bore witness to the absolute lordship of Christ against the might and hubris of Rome. It could be Zerubbabel the king and presumed descendent of David, and Joshua the priest who returned from Babylonian exile to rebuild the Temple and stood against hostile resistance which attempted to foil God's purpose. If a choice must be made, and in view of the events of the seventh trumpet, the best would be Elijah and Moses. In biblical and apocalyptic traditions both were said to have been taken up into heaven before they died. Elijah "shut the sky" preventing rain and used fire to destroy his enemies. Moses turned water into blood and was God's agent in bringing plagues upon Egypt. In the Christian and Jewish tradition, Elijah was to return as the forerunner of the Messiah, and both Moses and Elijah participate in the transfiguration vision bestowing upon Jesus the prophetic and Torah authority.

After the specified 1260 days the beast of the bottomless pit is allowed to kill the two prophets - a reminder to the churches of the possibility of martyrdom for those who continue to confess Christ as Lord rather than Caesar. The two dead prophets lay in the streets of Jerusalem (the great city) where Jesus (their Lord) was crucified. John refers to Jerusalem as both Sodom and Egypt, the place of moral degradation and bondage to oppressive slavery. After the Romans destroyed the city, thousands of Jews were marched out and sold into slavery throughout the empire. Thousands more were executed in Roman arenas in Syrian and Caesarea. Burial of the two prophets was not permitted (in violation of Torah) and the world celebrated their deaths thinking they were now rid of these tormenters.

But God would have the last word. As an example to the churches of the outcome of conquering through death, after a symbolic three and a half days, God breathed life into them (Ezekiel's field of bones) and called them up into heaven to the terrified amazement of their enemies. As the two martyrs were ascending to God a great earthquake struck the city killing seven thousand people (seven times 70 companies). John sees the rest of the pagan Gentiles giving glory to God. This does not mean praise or acceptance of God as the one God. It means they credited this God with a miracle that any god might perform.

Revelation, Chapter 11:15-19 The Seventh Trumpet

The angel has proclaimed there will be no further delay (10:6). God's kingdom is about to dawn (Dan. 7:10-11). And so it is with the blowing of the seventh trumpet accompanied by loud voices in heaven. "The kingdom of the world has become [what it has always been,] the kingdom of our Lord (God) and [God's] Messiah" who reigns forever (Isa. 27:13; Dan. 2:44; Ps. 145:13). The shouts of the voices are met with worship before the throne of God by the twenty four elders. God's reign is affirmed. The time for "judging the dead, rewarding the servants, prophets and saints and destroying the destroyers of the earth cannot be far off. As if to join the heavenly celebration the curtain of the heavenly Sanctuary is opened, the Ark of the Covenant is visible and the presence of God is seen within the lightening, thunder, earthquake and heavy hail.

We thought we had arrived at the end. The kingdom was affirmed and God reigns over all. But what John has given us in his vision is not the end of struggle, but the beginning of the end. Now that God's kingdom has been identified as the true kingdom of the world wholly belonging to God, the war of possession can commence. At stake is the world. In question is the power. In the balance is love, peace and justice weighed against hate, violence and oppression.

October 10, 2014 Revelation Chapter 10

Revelation Chapter 10

Originally posted Monday December 22, 2008

Revelation, Chapter 10 The Angel of the Little Scroll

Before the opening of the seventh seal there was an interlude in which John's vision identified the 144,000 who had been sealed with the seal of God on their foreheads. This symbolic number was identified as Christians who were part of the existing churches of John's time. In addition there was a "multitude from every nation," martyrs who were enrobed in white and joining the angels, elders and living creatures in worship of God and the Lamb. In chapter 10-11:13 the visions of the Little Scroll and the Two Witnesses precede the blowing of the seventh trumpet. They serve as the announcement that the judgment and the great cosmic battle between God and Satan has begun. The two witnesses will be particularly important in John's vision of the role of the church during an increasing level of persecution, 

John sees a "mighty angel" described in terms used elsewhere in Revelation of God and Christ. (1:16, 4:3, 5:1). Descriptive images of God, Christ and angel merge but it is God who is heard and seen in and through both angel and Christ. The cloud that is wrapped around the angel is reminiscent of the cloud of God's presence on Mount Sinai and the mount of Transfiguration (also see Job 37; Ps. 18:7-15; Zech. 10:1). The angel carries an open scroll and shouts with the roar of a lion (5:1, Amos 3:8). The scroll that is open is the scroll of the seven seals of 5:1, taken from the hand of God and which the Lamb was found worthy to open. The angel's shout - as if calling to the heavens, leads to the voice of the seven thunders (thunder is usually associated with the voice of God). John is prepared to record the words spoken by the seven thunders but he is halted by "a voice from heaven" that instructs him not to write what he has heard but to "seal up what the seven thunders have said." We are not told why this is. (It is worthwhile at this point to read Daniel 12:1-10 to understand how John adapts an older Jewish tradition for this part of his vision.).

The angel's oath before God is a promise that "there will be no more delay," that when the seventh trumpet is sounded God's mystery (the final judgment) as told to the prophets will be fulfilled. Of course apocalyptic time is more symbolic than chronological. While the angel swears there will be no delay and the waiting is over, what is meant is that there will be no delay in proceeding toward the events of the end of history. Before this can occur there will be the final tribulation through which the churches are already passing (Dan. 12:1). Perhaps this final tribulation is what John has been told to seal, as Daniel was told to "keep the words [of Michael's prophecy] secret and the scroll sealed until the time of the end." A better possibility more in keeping with the unfolding text is that God has intervened in the apocalyptic process, perhaps in response to the prayers of the saints who are continuing to endure the tribulation. God has chosen not to delay the end but to proceed to the fulfillment of God's mystery in the blowing of the seventh trumpet. 

God's voice from heaven tells John to take the open scroll of the seven seals from the angel. As he does so the angel tells him to devour the scroll, that it will be "bitter to [his] stomach, but sweet as honey in [his] mouth." This might seem an odd command but John's frequent reliance on Ezekiel for his imagery provides an understanding. In Ezek. 2:8-3:3 Ezekiel is given a scroll to eat. On the scroll were written "words of lamentation and mourning and woe." corresponding to the seven seals on John's scroll. Ezekiel eats the scroll and writes, "...in my mouth it was sweet as honey." Unlike Ezekiel, in the eating of the scroll John experiences the two extremes of God's plan (mystery) for the coming judgment. There is the bitterness of what John will continue to prophesy regarding the disaster that is being loosed on the earth leading to the day of final judgment and the sweetness of the victory of salvation that comes to those who have persevered until the end. John's work is not done.

October 9, 2014 Revelation Chapter 9

Revelation Chapter 9

Originally posted Friday December 19, 2008

Revelation, Chapter 9:1-11 The Fifth Trumpet

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

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

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

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

Revelation, Chapter 9:13-21 The Sixth Trumpet

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

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

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

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

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Note:

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

October 8, 2014 Revelation Chapter 8

Revelation Chapter 8

Originally posted Thursday December 18, 2008

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

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

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

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

Revelation, Chapter 8:7-13 The Seven Trumpets

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

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

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

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

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

October 7, 2014 Revelation Chapter 7

Revelation Chapter 7

Originally posted Wednesday December 17, 2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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