THE WOMAN CLOTHED WITH THE SUN
The Gospel – Verse 11 reminds us that the Gospel in Revelation is exactly the same as in the rest of the New Testament. Even though I picture Michael fighting Satan with medieval weapons, like a sword and spear, this was spiritual warfare. They won that battle with the “blood of the Lamb.” Never get lost in the maze of symbols and numbers in the Apocalypse and forget salvation came through the cross and resurrection.
Now let's look at the rest of the chapter.
The Woman – Either Israel or the Church, take your pick. A few, however, choose Mary and have this representing the birth of the Messiah. Some combine this having Israel give birth to the Messiah. Israel emerged as a nation from Egypt, and later Matthew has Jesus fleeing to Egypt as a child and coming back to Israel. Satan attacked both Israel and Jesus, but both were protected.
Satan thrown down – Frankly, I don't get this. Satan was wandering the earth in the days of Adam, Eve “getting” to meet him first. The event could have happened in heaven before creation, but the victory (v 11) was won at the cross. I suspect his being thrown down relates to the persecution the churches were undergoing. Though many were hurt and killed, still the church continued and even thrived.
Historical note – the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 AD. Two more rebellions were to happen after this book was written, one around 135 and the second about 150. After that, the temple and Jerusalem were reduced to rubble, rebuilt as a Roman city, and renamed. Since Jewish worship had been built around the temple until then, it had to change radically, thus strengthening synagogues and rabbis over sacrifice.
The numbers – Don't worry too much about the numbers in Revelation. I take all of them as symbolic. One speculation is that 12 represents Israel (12 tribes) or the church (12 disciples), 10 is completeness, thus 1000 is perhaps eternity. Seven is a favorite number, esp in Revelation, maybe from the days of the week, or the seven days of creation. So 144,000 may represent all the people of God (12x12 plus 10x10). Nero's name adds to 666 if you do it like high school girls adding their names and comparing the numbers to their boyfriends' names.
If numbers really interest you, the technical name is gematria. A good beginning, but not much more than that, is Wikipedia entry Gematria.
Praise follows – I recommend the Hallelujah Chorus or Beethoven's Hallelujah as the best “explanation.”
Finally, the devil is prowling as a roaring lion seeking all he can devour reminds us to be on our guard against sin and evil, both inside ourselves and also from the world outside. Remember, the only power he has within us is what we allow! Check out the armor of God in Ephesians 6.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Friday, August 14, 2015
OPENING THE SEALS
Revelation 6-9
The Lifeway quarterly only covers the beginning of Chapter 9, but we need to get the big picture first.
As the Lamb opened the seven seals, seven angels appear with seven trumpets, which they proceed to sound. The first four present the famous Four Horsemen of destruction, as first seen in Zechariah (but no relation to the four horsemen of Notre Dame in Knute Rockne days). All have to do with God's judgment unleashed on the world. They are usually interpreted as standing for war, civil war, plague, natural disaster, death, or something similar. Don't get diverted because one horse is white. The rider on the white horse does not represent Jesus or any other good guy unless you count all the riders as good because they are executing God's wrath on the unbelieving world. Remember, the book's first readers were Christians under persecution. Compare with Christians and others caught by ISIS and killed or made slaves. They are crying out, “Where is God? How long will this last?” And the answer is the Lord is with His churches, in the midst of His people. Judgment is coming.
Now in Chapter 9 when the fifth seal is opened, a star falls. Someone gives him the key to the shaft of the abyss, presumably on the authority of God. The abyss seems to be a place where evil is kept sealed and unleashed now and then. Going back to Genesis 1:2 (The earth was without form and void – that is, chaos.) Throughout history the Bible portrays chaos as trying to break back in to destroy God's creation. Now in Revelation chaos is turned against itself. Chaos will destroy those who create chaos.
From the smoke of the abyss, locusts appear like creatures out of a horror movie. In the Middle East locusts that look like grasshoppers can destroy crops and bring on famine. For that reason, they are feared. But these “insects” are not allowed to touch the earth or its crops. They are only to afflict people, and then only for “five months.” Scholars differ on the five months. Some take it literally, but most think all of the numbers in Revelation are symbolic. Five may be a symbol of incompleteness or limitation. The pain is limited. They will torment people, but not forever. The pain will leave eventually.
The pain is likened to a scorpion's bite. In the Western US scorpions inflict people with stings that may compare to vicious bee or wasp stings. If you are allergic, you could die or require hospitalization. But the pain goes away. The pain will be so severe they will want to die, but they will not. There follows a description of the locusts that makes them appear fiercely weird. Their king or leader is Abbadon, which means Destroyer. Was this Satan or one of his minions?
Finally, we learn John has witnessed the first of three woes. Two more will come, and we shall find even those gross warnings don't cause people to repent.
What do you make of this. Some believe that one day those alive will see exactly what is portrayed here. Others take the pictures as symbolic of the limitation of evil. Persecution is its own call to be persecuted. Witness for example what the Sunnis and Shiites do to each other, or Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland some years back.
The best takeaway I find is to remember this is a part of the overall Book of Revelation that proclaims the final victory of God. What goes around comes around, and one day persecutors will be persecuted, and evil will be utterly destroyed. Live in victory. Christ is Lord!
Revelation 6-9
The Lifeway quarterly only covers the beginning of Chapter 9, but we need to get the big picture first.
As the Lamb opened the seven seals, seven angels appear with seven trumpets, which they proceed to sound. The first four present the famous Four Horsemen of destruction, as first seen in Zechariah (but no relation to the four horsemen of Notre Dame in Knute Rockne days). All have to do with God's judgment unleashed on the world. They are usually interpreted as standing for war, civil war, plague, natural disaster, death, or something similar. Don't get diverted because one horse is white. The rider on the white horse does not represent Jesus or any other good guy unless you count all the riders as good because they are executing God's wrath on the unbelieving world. Remember, the book's first readers were Christians under persecution. Compare with Christians and others caught by ISIS and killed or made slaves. They are crying out, “Where is God? How long will this last?” And the answer is the Lord is with His churches, in the midst of His people. Judgment is coming.
Now in Chapter 9 when the fifth seal is opened, a star falls. Someone gives him the key to the shaft of the abyss, presumably on the authority of God. The abyss seems to be a place where evil is kept sealed and unleashed now and then. Going back to Genesis 1:2 (The earth was without form and void – that is, chaos.) Throughout history the Bible portrays chaos as trying to break back in to destroy God's creation. Now in Revelation chaos is turned against itself. Chaos will destroy those who create chaos.
From the smoke of the abyss, locusts appear like creatures out of a horror movie. In the Middle East locusts that look like grasshoppers can destroy crops and bring on famine. For that reason, they are feared. But these “insects” are not allowed to touch the earth or its crops. They are only to afflict people, and then only for “five months.” Scholars differ on the five months. Some take it literally, but most think all of the numbers in Revelation are symbolic. Five may be a symbol of incompleteness or limitation. The pain is limited. They will torment people, but not forever. The pain will leave eventually.
The pain is likened to a scorpion's bite. In the Western US scorpions inflict people with stings that may compare to vicious bee or wasp stings. If you are allergic, you could die or require hospitalization. But the pain goes away. The pain will be so severe they will want to die, but they will not. There follows a description of the locusts that makes them appear fiercely weird. Their king or leader is Abbadon, which means Destroyer. Was this Satan or one of his minions?
Finally, we learn John has witnessed the first of three woes. Two more will come, and we shall find even those gross warnings don't cause people to repent.
What do you make of this. Some believe that one day those alive will see exactly what is portrayed here. Others take the pictures as symbolic of the limitation of evil. Persecution is its own call to be persecuted. Witness for example what the Sunnis and Shiites do to each other, or Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland some years back.
The best takeaway I find is to remember this is a part of the overall Book of Revelation that proclaims the final victory of God. What goes around comes around, and one day persecutors will be persecuted, and evil will be utterly destroyed. Live in victory. Christ is Lord!
Friday, August 7, 2015
Revelation 5
We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto. We're back in divine headquarters in the throne room. The right hand of God holds a scroll, closed with seven seals. Time out:
Scrolls were made of papyrus or parchment. Papyrus was a reed that could be stripped and woven into a paper-like substance to write on. Parchment was scraped leather, also for writing, but more durable and probably more expensive.
Seals you have seen, especially in holiday seasons, glued onto the flaps of envelopes to give them a festive appearance. In the ancient world they were made by dripping hot wax onto the overlap to close the scroll. Often the writer would impress his ring against the warm wax as a way of signing the letter or giving it his authority. Seven seals may signify the importance of the scroll or have a numerical significance relating to numerology, such as completeness or perfection.
I've often wondered why “seals”? Why not walruses – at least sometimes?
The call went out with authority, asking who had the right to break open the seals and reveal the message of the scroll. For an awful moment it appeared no one could. The void reduced John to tears. But one of the 24 elders called to John and said he could quit crying, for the Lion of the tribe of Judah had conquered and could rip open the scroll.!
Note the reference to Judah, and with it to David's kingdom. The Jews expected the Messiah to come from Judah, and so He had!
But the Lion was a Lamb. The Lion had already conquered, and the war was over because of the slaughtered Lamb. Remember I said in the introduction to this book, that the Gospel is exactly the same in Revelation as in the rest of the New Testament? Here is a clear example, in symbolic and apocalyptic language, but the Gospel is the same. The Lord triumphs through the Cross and Resurrection. It's past tense. He has already conquered. Revelation does NOT look forward to the day when Christ will overcome. He has already conquered sin and death and hell forever and ever Amen!
In the vision the Lamb has 7 horns and 7 eyes. We don't have to figure them out, because John tells us they represent the 7 Spirits of God (likely the Holy Spirit) sent into the world.
Jesus then goes to the throne and takes the scroll from His Father's right hand. Of course he could, and He did! AS He took the scroll, celebration and worship erupted in the throneroom.
Pay attention to the new song: He is worthy because of the cross that ransomed with His blood people from all the earth. Jesus won the decisive victory on Calvary. That's the only victory that counts! And in Christ, that victory is ours!
We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto. We're back in divine headquarters in the throne room. The right hand of God holds a scroll, closed with seven seals. Time out:
Scrolls were made of papyrus or parchment. Papyrus was a reed that could be stripped and woven into a paper-like substance to write on. Parchment was scraped leather, also for writing, but more durable and probably more expensive.
Seals you have seen, especially in holiday seasons, glued onto the flaps of envelopes to give them a festive appearance. In the ancient world they were made by dripping hot wax onto the overlap to close the scroll. Often the writer would impress his ring against the warm wax as a way of signing the letter or giving it his authority. Seven seals may signify the importance of the scroll or have a numerical significance relating to numerology, such as completeness or perfection.
I've often wondered why “seals”? Why not walruses – at least sometimes?
The call went out with authority, asking who had the right to break open the seals and reveal the message of the scroll. For an awful moment it appeared no one could. The void reduced John to tears. But one of the 24 elders called to John and said he could quit crying, for the Lion of the tribe of Judah had conquered and could rip open the scroll.!
Note the reference to Judah, and with it to David's kingdom. The Jews expected the Messiah to come from Judah, and so He had!
But the Lion was a Lamb. The Lion had already conquered, and the war was over because of the slaughtered Lamb. Remember I said in the introduction to this book, that the Gospel is exactly the same in Revelation as in the rest of the New Testament? Here is a clear example, in symbolic and apocalyptic language, but the Gospel is the same. The Lord triumphs through the Cross and Resurrection. It's past tense. He has already conquered. Revelation does NOT look forward to the day when Christ will overcome. He has already conquered sin and death and hell forever and ever Amen!
In the vision the Lamb has 7 horns and 7 eyes. We don't have to figure them out, because John tells us they represent the 7 Spirits of God (likely the Holy Spirit) sent into the world.
Jesus then goes to the throne and takes the scroll from His Father's right hand. Of course he could, and He did! AS He took the scroll, celebration and worship erupted in the throneroom.
Pay attention to the new song: He is worthy because of the cross that ransomed with His blood people from all the earth. Jesus won the decisive victory on Calvary. That's the only victory that counts! And in Christ, that victory is ours!
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