We tend to think of angels as God’s messengers bringing good news, like the angels of Luke 2:8-14. That isn’t how John saw them. Instead, these messengers brought a message first proclaimed by Christ himself. It could never be replaced and so was “an eternal gospel. By his life, death and resurrection Christ had ransomed for God every human being who ever lived. The function of the martyrs to whom John wrote was to proclaim the same message with their lives and their deaths. That is the meaning of 14:6-7.
At the same time a second angel (vs. 8) declares that judgment has come to those who would destroy God’s purpose for creation. As in the Old Testament, Babylon represented all worldly powers marshaled against God. In this instance, John meant Rome which seduced other nations and peoples into believing in its absolute authority through worshiping the emperor.
But what if someone did not believe and continued to worship the idol? A third angel (vss. 9-11) describes what would befall them if they did not repent. John’s description of a life of eternal torment after death is almost beyond words. He is saying as best he could with references from Jewish apocalyptic literature what it would be like for those who rejected God’s offer of redemption through faith in Jesus Christ. We must decide if this still confronts the unrepentant today.
Remember that John was issuing this dire warning and an urgent appeal to the faithful Christians of the seven churches to endure to the end (vs. 12). They might well be martyred for their faithfulness, but even so they would receive the eternal blessing of God. They would inherit eternal bliss and rest in God’s presence (vs. 13). He firmly believed too that their martyrdom would win many more converts to the faith.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
SOLDIERS OF THE CROSS
Like most other New Testament writers, John often used Old Testament passages to make his point that Jesus is the Messiah/Christ. He did so again in 14:1-5 as he interpreted on Psalm 2 in this way. He envisioned the decisive battle between the hostile forces opposed to God and those who by faith share with Christ the task of reducing the rebellious world to submission.
The scene depicted Mount Zion on which were gathered the Lamb and 144,000 faithful. This military roll call was like the census of Israel’s twelve tribes in 1 Chronicles 4-7. Not preparing for battle, this army of God had already begun the song of victory (vs. 3). But no one could learn this song but those who had been martyred. Their song consisted of the agony and groans of their ordeal transformed by the mysterious power of the cross into the harmonies of heaven (vss. 2-3).
Vs. 4 has a somewhat unusual reference to an ancient practice in Israel’s traditional struggle for survival. War was initiated with religious ceremony and so consecrated as holy war. Soldiers were required to maintain sexual abstinence as did Uriah in the story of David and Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11). To John this meant that the Christian martyrs would maintain their purity by resisting any association with the imperial cult required of all Roman citizens.
In so doing, the Christian martyrs would follow Christ wherever he went, even to death. They would share his royal and priestly office so that through them he may complete his redeeming work. Thus they would be offering themselves as the first fruits of the harvest representing all living things, so redeeming the whole. John is not saying that only they would be saved out of the world. Rather, they would be as Jesus, the lamb without blemish, in their unwavering loyalty.
The scene depicted Mount Zion on which were gathered the Lamb and 144,000 faithful. This military roll call was like the census of Israel’s twelve tribes in 1 Chronicles 4-7. Not preparing for battle, this army of God had already begun the song of victory (vs. 3). But no one could learn this song but those who had been martyred. Their song consisted of the agony and groans of their ordeal transformed by the mysterious power of the cross into the harmonies of heaven (vss. 2-3).
Vs. 4 has a somewhat unusual reference to an ancient practice in Israel’s traditional struggle for survival. War was initiated with religious ceremony and so consecrated as holy war. Soldiers were required to maintain sexual abstinence as did Uriah in the story of David and Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11). To John this meant that the Christian martyrs would maintain their purity by resisting any association with the imperial cult required of all Roman citizens.
In so doing, the Christian martyrs would follow Christ wherever he went, even to death. They would share his royal and priestly office so that through them he may complete his redeeming work. Thus they would be offering themselves as the first fruits of the harvest representing all living things, so redeeming the whole. John is not saying that only they would be saved out of the world. Rather, they would be as Jesus, the lamb without blemish, in their unwavering loyalty.
THE MONSTER FROM THE LAND
Whereas the first monster represented the Roman proconsul, appointed annually from Rome, the second monster represented a local council of civic and religious authorities administering each community of the empire. One of the council’s responsibilities was to foster the worship of the emperor by erecting a statue of the emperor then in power. This is the context of the time ca. 95 CE when Domitian reigned and John composed his cryptic visions.
The image of the emperor John so vividly condemned “had two horns like a lamb’s but spoke like a dragon.” Its lamb-like appearance heightens the parody of Christ that John envisioned. In other words, it represented a false Messiah, even to the point of working miracles and deceiving the general populace in many other ways.
One of the most popular superstitions of the time held that Emperor Nero (54-68 CE), who had committed suicide, had not really died but would return from the east. In 88 CE a pretender in Asia had actually claimed to be Nero. Another popular philosophy of this era used magic, mysticism and mathematics to further impress the common people. These informed the symbolism John used to warn his Christian community of the dangers they faced.
Specifically the mark of the monster and the number of its name (vss. 16-18) referred directly these popular beliefs. Every Roman commercial document and coin bore the mark or the image of the reigning Caesar. The number 666 was a cryptogram that must have appealed to John for some symbolic meaning. Although many have tried to decipher it, no one has yet done so. Traditionally, the number is thought to refer to the legend about Nero’s return.
The image of the emperor John so vividly condemned “had two horns like a lamb’s but spoke like a dragon.” Its lamb-like appearance heightens the parody of Christ that John envisioned. In other words, it represented a false Messiah, even to the point of working miracles and deceiving the general populace in many other ways.
One of the most popular superstitions of the time held that Emperor Nero (54-68 CE), who had committed suicide, had not really died but would return from the east. In 88 CE a pretender in Asia had actually claimed to be Nero. Another popular philosophy of this era used magic, mysticism and mathematics to further impress the common people. These informed the symbolism John used to warn his Christian community of the dangers they faced.
Specifically the mark of the monster and the number of its name (vss. 16-18) referred directly these popular beliefs. Every Roman commercial document and coin bore the mark or the image of the reigning Caesar. The number 666 was a cryptogram that must have appealed to John for some symbolic meaning. Although many have tried to decipher it, no one has yet done so. Traditionally, the number is thought to refer to the legend about Nero’s return.
THE MONSTER FROM THE ABYSS
The unusual symbols of 13:1-10 were taken mostly from Jewish apocalyptic literature composed later than most of those now in our Old Testament. One tradition held that God on the fifth day created two mythical creatures, Leviathan and Behemoth, to inhabit the sea and the land. The first monster represented the Roman imperial power which annually came “out of the sea” in the arrival of a new Roman proconsul at Ephesus.
The monster’s characteristics (vs. 1b-2) were much like those found in Daniel 4 and 7. In other words, by exercising absolute power and demanding loyalty due only to God, Rome became bestial. Its ten horns and seven heads referred to the Greek and Roman emperors who had dominated that part of the world for four hundred years.
In vs. 3 there is a reference to a local belief that Emperor Nero, who had committed suicide in 68 CE, had come to life again. The rule of Vespasian (68-79) and his sons, Titus (79-81) and Domitian (81-96), merely continued the same brutal policies which proved so disastrous for both Jews and Christians. The monster’s attack on the church (vss. 6-7) blasphemed the divine presence in the world formed whenever Christians gathered in the name of Christ.
John appears to have a strong sense of predestination in mind in vss. 8-10. Yet his view springs from the biblical tradition that salvation is a wholly unmerited act of God. This is qualified by an equally strong statement of human responsibility. This meant that the church must submit to the civil authority as their Lord had done so that their Lord alone might win the victory over sin and death. This calls for endurance and faith from God’s people as the final words of vs. 10 states.
The monster’s characteristics (vs. 1b-2) were much like those found in Daniel 4 and 7. In other words, by exercising absolute power and demanding loyalty due only to God, Rome became bestial. Its ten horns and seven heads referred to the Greek and Roman emperors who had dominated that part of the world for four hundred years.
In vs. 3 there is a reference to a local belief that Emperor Nero, who had committed suicide in 68 CE, had come to life again. The rule of Vespasian (68-79) and his sons, Titus (79-81) and Domitian (81-96), merely continued the same brutal policies which proved so disastrous for both Jews and Christians. The monster’s attack on the church (vss. 6-7) blasphemed the divine presence in the world formed whenever Christians gathered in the name of Christ.
John appears to have a strong sense of predestination in mind in vss. 8-10. Yet his view springs from the biblical tradition that salvation is a wholly unmerited act of God. This is qualified by an equally strong statement of human responsibility. This meant that the church must submit to the civil authority as their Lord had done so that their Lord alone might win the victory over sin and death. This calls for endurance and faith from God’s people as the final words of vs. 10 states.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
THE RIVER OF LIES
The final segment of 12:13-17 contains some poignant symbols that refer to both a familiar Old Testament story and some real events within the seven churches to which John wrote. The Old Testament reference is the Exodus from Egypt when the Israelites were pursued by the Egyptian army, but saved by the intervention of God. Specifically the reference in vs. 14 to eagle’s wings aiding the woman’s escape is to Ex. 19:4.
In vs. 15 another obscure image of the serpent spewing out a river of water to engulf the woman refers to a little known detail of the Egyptian Pharaoh’s command that the Israelite midwives drown all Hebrew males in the Nile (Ex.1:22). Several Psalms and passages from Isaiah, all with reference to the Exodus, lie behind vs. 16 where the earth swallowed the river which the dragon has spewed from his mouth (Pss. 32:6; 18:4; 124:4; Isa. 42:15; 43:2; 50:2).
When John wrote in vs. 17 of the dragon waging war on the rest of the woman’s children, he spoke directly to the circumstances the seven churches were dealing with at that time: slanderous attacks from outside (Rev. 2:9; 3:9) and false teaching corrupting the faith to destroy it within (2:6, 14-15).
Throughout history, the great enemies of church have always been the tendency for those who oppose it to accentuate negative aspects of its life and work, or to corrupt its faith from within. John defines the only real security the church has as “keeping God’s commandments and holding to the testimony of Jesus.”
Being faithful under such duress, however, is by no means simple.
John concluded this section saying that the dragon had withdrawn to the seashore to find reinforcements.
In vs. 15 another obscure image of the serpent spewing out a river of water to engulf the woman refers to a little known detail of the Egyptian Pharaoh’s command that the Israelite midwives drown all Hebrew males in the Nile (Ex.1:22). Several Psalms and passages from Isaiah, all with reference to the Exodus, lie behind vs. 16 where the earth swallowed the river which the dragon has spewed from his mouth (Pss. 32:6; 18:4; 124:4; Isa. 42:15; 43:2; 50:2).
When John wrote in vs. 17 of the dragon waging war on the rest of the woman’s children, he spoke directly to the circumstances the seven churches were dealing with at that time: slanderous attacks from outside (Rev. 2:9; 3:9) and false teaching corrupting the faith to destroy it within (2:6, 14-15).
Throughout history, the great enemies of church have always been the tendency for those who oppose it to accentuate negative aspects of its life and work, or to corrupt its faith from within. John defines the only real security the church has as “keeping God’s commandments and holding to the testimony of Jesus.”
Being faithful under such duress, however, is by no means simple.
John concluded this section saying that the dragon had withdrawn to the seashore to find reinforcements.
THE WAR IN HEAVEN
In the next section (12:7-12) John described a war in heaven that again had its basis in a pagan myth which found its way into Jewish literature of the period between the Old and New Testaments (1 & 2 Enoch; Life of Adam and Eve). The archangel Michael and an army of angels fought Satan, the dragon, and his angels. Satan and company suffered defeat and were thrown down to earth. A dramatic bronze statue depicting this myth can be seen on the front wall of Coventry Cathedral in the UK.
But that doesn’t end the story. John heard a voice from heaven announcing that the hour of God’s victory had arrived, at least in the heavenly realm of God. In fact, Michael’s victory in heaven was the spiritual and symbolic counterpart of Jesus’ victory on the Cross on earth.
Several terms in this passage speak of different roles Satan has in the Bible: the Devil, deceiver, accuser. The passage also described Satan as a heavenly figure. In Job 1:6ff, Satan appeared as God’s adversary, the Hebrew meaning of the name. In Zechariah 3:1ff, Satan accused Jerusalem of unacceptable moral and religious practices symbolized as filthy clothes.
In the New Testament letters of 1 Peter 5:8, Jude 9 and 1 Timothy 3:6, Satan appeared as a prosecutor. In some cases, Michael confronts Satan as he would a respected barrister before a law court. Although John saw the conflict with Satan in military terms, it was essentially a legal battle which ended with one of lawyers disbarred.
By describing Satan’s defeat in this way, John warned his people that while their martyrdom still lay ahead, their salvation could be treated as a fait accompli already achieved by Christ on the Cross. The power, guilt and effects of sin had been overcome by God’s forgiving love in Christ.
But that doesn’t end the story. John heard a voice from heaven announcing that the hour of God’s victory had arrived, at least in the heavenly realm of God. In fact, Michael’s victory in heaven was the spiritual and symbolic counterpart of Jesus’ victory on the Cross on earth.
Several terms in this passage speak of different roles Satan has in the Bible: the Devil, deceiver, accuser. The passage also described Satan as a heavenly figure. In Job 1:6ff, Satan appeared as God’s adversary, the Hebrew meaning of the name. In Zechariah 3:1ff, Satan accused Jerusalem of unacceptable moral and religious practices symbolized as filthy clothes.
In the New Testament letters of 1 Peter 5:8, Jude 9 and 1 Timothy 3:6, Satan appeared as a prosecutor. In some cases, Michael confronts Satan as he would a respected barrister before a law court. Although John saw the conflict with Satan in military terms, it was essentially a legal battle which ended with one of lawyers disbarred.
By describing Satan’s defeat in this way, John warned his people that while their martyrdom still lay ahead, their salvation could be treated as a fait accompli already achieved by Christ on the Cross. The power, guilt and effects of sin had been overcome by God’s forgiving love in Christ.
THE GREAT ORDEAL
The next section of John’s Revelation portrayed a great disaster about to befall the church community. He described this ordeal as a myth, a story told about the remote past designed to interpret present reality. Cleverly to disguise his real intent, John used this pagan myth in 12:1-6 common to many cultures in ancient times. The myth told of a Mother Goddess who gave birth to a son. It contradicted the current political situation, source of the church's suffering.
In this instance, the mother was not Mary and the son Jesus, but the messianic community and the faithful witnesses. The mother’s birth agony referred the suffering endured by the people of God waiting for their anointed Messiah. John was not thinking of the Nativity but the death on the Cross by which Jesus came to reign with God over God’s eternal realm.
The strange figure of the seven-headed red dragon about to devour the newborn infant derived from an old Canaanite myth still evident in a number of Old Testament references (Ps. 74:14; Jer. 51:34; Ezek. 29:3). The mother’s and child’s escape from the dragon referred to the first consequence of the crucifixion and ascension of Christ. As long as Jesus lived he was tempted to yield to Satan’s temptation, to do that which was not God’s will. His death freed him from Satan’s power. In other words, by his death and resurrection Jesus and the believing community escaped to the security of eternal life.
Yet there is ambivalence in what John was saying, reflected in symbols from the Israel’s Exodus from Egypt to wander in the wilderness. While the church remains in the world amid great evil and suffering, it is sustained by God just as Israel escaped to the freedom of the desert to be sustained by God in their wandering for an extended period.
In this instance, the mother was not Mary and the son Jesus, but the messianic community and the faithful witnesses. The mother’s birth agony referred the suffering endured by the people of God waiting for their anointed Messiah. John was not thinking of the Nativity but the death on the Cross by which Jesus came to reign with God over God’s eternal realm.
The strange figure of the seven-headed red dragon about to devour the newborn infant derived from an old Canaanite myth still evident in a number of Old Testament references (Ps. 74:14; Jer. 51:34; Ezek. 29:3). The mother’s and child’s escape from the dragon referred to the first consequence of the crucifixion and ascension of Christ. As long as Jesus lived he was tempted to yield to Satan’s temptation, to do that which was not God’s will. His death freed him from Satan’s power. In other words, by his death and resurrection Jesus and the believing community escaped to the security of eternal life.
Yet there is ambivalence in what John was saying, reflected in symbols from the Israel’s Exodus from Egypt to wander in the wilderness. While the church remains in the world amid great evil and suffering, it is sustained by God just as Israel escaped to the freedom of the desert to be sustained by God in their wandering for an extended period.
THE LAST TRUMPET
The jubilant sounding of the last trumpet brought forth a loud paean of voices from heaven celebrating the eternal sovereignty of God over the world (11:15-19). In his vision John then saw the twenty-four elders falling on their faces worshiping God. The psalm they sang refers to Psalm 2. Some scholars regard this as a messianic hymn while others see it as a song designed to give confidence to a new king on his accession to the throne of David.
With this background, John saw the twenty-four elders singing a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s eternal reign. Despite the raging opposition of all that is evil, the victory over sin and death has been won on earth by the death and resurrection of Christ. Because of this the time of judgment has arrived.
John had no doubt about the reality of judgment all must face. Two things were certain to him: the faithful servants of God will be rewarded and those who seek to destroy all that God intends will be punished. In the next several chapters, his prophesy will tell in detail who and what those powers are against whom the wrath of God will be unleashed.
The closing vision of this segment depicts the temple of heaven with the ark of the covenant clearly seen amid a great crescendo of lightning, thunder, rain and an earthquake. In the ancient Jewish tradition the ark in the holy of holies represented the presence of God into which only the high priest could enter on the Day of Atonement to offer the appropriate sacrifice for the sins of the people. The heavenly ark now visible to all the faithful assured them of the presence of God and the forgiveness of their sins.
Judgment is necessary because nothing unclean or evil can be admitted to the city of God, New Jerusalem.
With this background, John saw the twenty-four elders singing a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s eternal reign. Despite the raging opposition of all that is evil, the victory over sin and death has been won on earth by the death and resurrection of Christ. Because of this the time of judgment has arrived.
John had no doubt about the reality of judgment all must face. Two things were certain to him: the faithful servants of God will be rewarded and those who seek to destroy all that God intends will be punished. In the next several chapters, his prophesy will tell in detail who and what those powers are against whom the wrath of God will be unleashed.
The closing vision of this segment depicts the temple of heaven with the ark of the covenant clearly seen amid a great crescendo of lightning, thunder, rain and an earthquake. In the ancient Jewish tradition the ark in the holy of holies represented the presence of God into which only the high priest could enter on the Day of Atonement to offer the appropriate sacrifice for the sins of the people. The heavenly ark now visible to all the faithful assured them of the presence of God and the forgiveness of their sins.
Judgment is necessary because nothing unclean or evil can be admitted to the city of God, New Jerusalem.
MEASURING THE TEMPLE
Again John turned to the Old Testament prophecies for images to adapt to his own ends. In ch. 11:1-3 he received a measuring rod and instructed to measure the temple and those who worship there. This may seem a strange instruction for the temple had been destroyed in 70 CE, probably within John’s lifetime. However, the symbol stands for the church, not made with hands but living, faithful people who follow Christ.
But John also received instructions not to measure the outer court of the temple and the holy city. These represent those church members who have compromised with the world – the Nicolaitans, Balaamites and the lukewarm, loveless, lifeless members of Laodicea, Ephesus and Sardis (chs. 2-3). It is not they, but the faithful who will bear the coming martyrdom.
Faith fully lived yields profound insecurities. God does not offer the faithful freedom from suffering and death. Rather, they experience much hostility which may well endure for some time. That is the meaning of the cryptic references to time extending for many days and months.
There follows an enigmatic passage (vss. 4-13) about two witnesses symbolized as two olive-trees and two lamps. These represent a proportion of the whole people of God who have inherited from Christ his regal and priestly functions expressed in a number of Old Testament allusions to Zarubbabel, Joshua, Moses and Elijah, all regarded as prophets. With these references John was speaking of the prophetic witness Christian martyrs would give at their trials in the Roman imperial courts represented by a great monster arising from the abyss (vs.7). The resulting bloodbath would shock all who saw it, but would turn many to repentance.
But John also received instructions not to measure the outer court of the temple and the holy city. These represent those church members who have compromised with the world – the Nicolaitans, Balaamites and the lukewarm, loveless, lifeless members of Laodicea, Ephesus and Sardis (chs. 2-3). It is not they, but the faithful who will bear the coming martyrdom.
Faith fully lived yields profound insecurities. God does not offer the faithful freedom from suffering and death. Rather, they experience much hostility which may well endure for some time. That is the meaning of the cryptic references to time extending for many days and months.
There follows an enigmatic passage (vss. 4-13) about two witnesses symbolized as two olive-trees and two lamps. These represent a proportion of the whole people of God who have inherited from Christ his regal and priestly functions expressed in a number of Old Testament allusions to Zarubbabel, Joshua, Moses and Elijah, all regarded as prophets. With these references John was speaking of the prophetic witness Christian martyrs would give at their trials in the Roman imperial courts represented by a great monster arising from the abyss (vs.7). The resulting bloodbath would shock all who saw it, but would turn many to repentance.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
THE LITTLE SCROLL
Next John envisions a little scroll held out to him by an angel. The scroll contained a new version of God’s purposes to be achieved through the church. When the angel spoke it sounded like seven thunders. Then John heard a voice from heaven forbidding him to write down what he heard. Instead the angel took an oath that there would be no more delay.
Prof. George Caird relates this to a passage in Daniel 12:6-7 which he held to be a standard apocalyptic reference John adapted for his own purpose. The reference was to the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes of the Jews during the 2nd century BCE resulting in the rebellion of the Macabbees and a century of independence. In effect, John was prophesying that God’s secret weapon was the persecution of the church by means of which God will achieve the redemption of creation.
John is then made to eat the little scroll and finds it sweet to taste, but bitter to digest. This referred to a similar experience by Ezekiel (2:8-3:3) so that he might assimilate its contents. Such strange instructions meant that John had been given special insight to tell the church that if the redemptive work of Christ was to become operative, it would be through the sacrificial witness of Christ’s servants. There could be no other way to bring about victory over human sin than by the cross. This same gospel is found in Mark 8:34-38 and comparable passages in Matthew 16:13-20; Luke 9:18-21 and John 6:66-67. Thus the Book of Revelation proclaims the same Good News as did the four Gospels, all written from 40 to 60 years after the Resurrection.
The frequent references to Old Testament apocalyptic passages found in Ezekiel and Daniel would have been well known to John’s audience from the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Septuagint. They would have sought out such passages in an effort to understand what their own persecutions meant.
Prof. George Caird relates this to a passage in Daniel 12:6-7 which he held to be a standard apocalyptic reference John adapted for his own purpose. The reference was to the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes of the Jews during the 2nd century BCE resulting in the rebellion of the Macabbees and a century of independence. In effect, John was prophesying that God’s secret weapon was the persecution of the church by means of which God will achieve the redemption of creation.
John is then made to eat the little scroll and finds it sweet to taste, but bitter to digest. This referred to a similar experience by Ezekiel (2:8-3:3) so that he might assimilate its contents. Such strange instructions meant that John had been given special insight to tell the church that if the redemptive work of Christ was to become operative, it would be through the sacrificial witness of Christ’s servants. There could be no other way to bring about victory over human sin than by the cross. This same gospel is found in Mark 8:34-38 and comparable passages in Matthew 16:13-20; Luke 9:18-21 and John 6:66-67. Thus the Book of Revelation proclaims the same Good News as did the four Gospels, all written from 40 to 60 years after the Resurrection.
The frequent references to Old Testament apocalyptic passages found in Ezekiel and Daniel would have been well known to John’s audience from the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Septuagint. They would have sought out such passages in an effort to understand what their own persecutions meant.
THE SEVENTH SEAL
The opening of the seventh seal introduces a long, confusing series of symbolic visions extending over several chapters, possibly from chs. 8 to 19. Scholars still struggle to interpret these mystifying symbols. Below is a précis of Prof. George Caird's analysis.
First come seven angels sounding trumpets. In those times, seven was regarded as the perfect number and the sounding of seven trumpets recalled instances in the Old Testament, notably the fall of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-5), where trumpets heralded significant events. Jewish festival liturgies included the sounding of trumpets, in particular on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) anticipating the final Day of Judgment.
Each of the first four trumpet blasts usher in a series of disasters in which a large number of people die. Some of these plagues were adapted from Moses’ challenge to the pharaoh of Egypt in Exodus 6-10. By these John signaled to the seven churches that he was dealing with their human love of life in this world and so were afraid to die. He was also saying that the present disasters were a prelude to God’s deliverance.
With the fifth trumpet John saw a star falling from heaven with the key to a bottomless pit full of fire, smoke, a plague of locusts and scorpions. This represented the corporate life of sinful humanity in open revolt to the purposes of God. The cumulative power and virulence of evil to which all contribute and by which all are affected is self-destructive, but still limited by God so that humans may see their suffering from sin and repent.
A sixth trumpet blast brings forth four angels and more death from an invading horde from Parthia (modern Iran). Fear was not sufficient to end sinful behaviour. John’s way of dealing with sin was not to denounce it, but to suffer as a faithful witness to Jesus. That approach has particular relevance for much modern preaching.
First come seven angels sounding trumpets. In those times, seven was regarded as the perfect number and the sounding of seven trumpets recalled instances in the Old Testament, notably the fall of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-5), where trumpets heralded significant events. Jewish festival liturgies included the sounding of trumpets, in particular on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) anticipating the final Day of Judgment.
Each of the first four trumpet blasts usher in a series of disasters in which a large number of people die. Some of these plagues were adapted from Moses’ challenge to the pharaoh of Egypt in Exodus 6-10. By these John signaled to the seven churches that he was dealing with their human love of life in this world and so were afraid to die. He was also saying that the present disasters were a prelude to God’s deliverance.
With the fifth trumpet John saw a star falling from heaven with the key to a bottomless pit full of fire, smoke, a plague of locusts and scorpions. This represented the corporate life of sinful humanity in open revolt to the purposes of God. The cumulative power and virulence of evil to which all contribute and by which all are affected is self-destructive, but still limited by God so that humans may see their suffering from sin and repent.
A sixth trumpet blast brings forth four angels and more death from an invading horde from Parthia (modern Iran). Fear was not sufficient to end sinful behaviour. John’s way of dealing with sin was not to denounce it, but to suffer as a faithful witness to Jesus. That approach has particular relevance for much modern preaching.
Friday, December 12, 2008
THE GREAT EARTHQUAKE
As soon as the Lamb opened sixth seal a great earthquake occurred. Although earthquakes often devastated that part of the world, this one had cosmic significance. Earthquakes were one of the common features of Jewish apocalyptic. Behind the symbolism lay several Old Testament references representing the judgment of God (Isaiah 2:12-17; 24:21; 34:2-4; Joel 2:30-3:3; Malachi 3:2).
There was one unique aspect of John’s use of this symbol. For him, the phrase “the wrath of the Lamb” (vs. 16) is an oddity, since neither a lamb nor the self-sacrificing love of Christ is normally associated with wrath. In this case, the wrath of the Lamb does not mean the wrathful attitude of God toward individuals and the punishment meted out to them. It means the working out in history of the consequences of rejecting of the Messiah.
We modern folk do not like the idea that judgment is very much part of our scriptures. Yet both Old and New Testaments present us with the inconvertable truth that God dispenses justice and judgment as well as grace and love. For John, both justice and grace come to those who believe in the victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death on the Cross.
John consistently wrote that the Lamb of God who was slain is not the dispenser of divine judgment but the one who bore it for us and for the world. In this he shared the perceptive interpretation of the early Church of Isaiah 53:1-9.
The tragedy is that so few people truly understand what Jesus offered to us by his self-sacrificing death on the cross. He offered to all people of faith the love and forgiveness of God, not the inexorable vengeance of God that terrifies so many who still believe that God condemns all sinners to hellfire and eternal damnation.
There was one unique aspect of John’s use of this symbol. For him, the phrase “the wrath of the Lamb” (vs. 16) is an oddity, since neither a lamb nor the self-sacrificing love of Christ is normally associated with wrath. In this case, the wrath of the Lamb does not mean the wrathful attitude of God toward individuals and the punishment meted out to them. It means the working out in history of the consequences of rejecting of the Messiah.
We modern folk do not like the idea that judgment is very much part of our scriptures. Yet both Old and New Testaments present us with the inconvertable truth that God dispenses justice and judgment as well as grace and love. For John, both justice and grace come to those who believe in the victory of Jesus Christ over sin and death on the Cross.
John consistently wrote that the Lamb of God who was slain is not the dispenser of divine judgment but the one who bore it for us and for the world. In this he shared the perceptive interpretation of the early Church of Isaiah 53:1-9.
The tragedy is that so few people truly understand what Jesus offered to us by his self-sacrificing death on the cross. He offered to all people of faith the love and forgiveness of God, not the inexorable vengeance of God that terrifies so many who still believe that God condemns all sinners to hellfire and eternal damnation.
OPENING THE SEALS
Chapter 6 contains a most puzzling set of symbols. Having been handed the scroll, the Lamb opens six of seven seals binding the scrolls. This loosed successively four great horses of different colours, a grave containing the souls of martyred faithful and a great earthquake. Such calamities were not original to John, but were also found in many other apocalyptic writings as well as Mark 13 (cf. Zech.1:7-17; 6:1-8). John modified these symbols for his own purposes.
The four horses represented disasters which the faithful had endured: war, rebellion, famine and pestilence. Historians record that all of these had actually happened during the previous last three or four decades of the 1st century. Christians had suffered through them like all other citizens of the Roman Empire and would continue to suffer for some time to come.
John did not say that these were retribution for the sins of the world. These evils had not been caused by the will of God. They had been tolerated by God’s permission. John used them to declare that the sovereignty of Christ exists even where sin and death are most evident. As in the Cross, human wickedness can be turned to the service of God’s purpose. Nothing can happen which cannot be woven into God’s eternal redemptive purpose.
With the opening of the fifth seal, John saw the souls of many martyrs beneath an altar of heaven. By the end of the 1st century there had been innumerable martyrs executed for proclaiming the gospel to the world. They were given white robes symbolizing immortality and asking them to wait for their final deliverance while martyrdom continued for their brothers and sisters still being persecuted.
The four horses represented disasters which the faithful had endured: war, rebellion, famine and pestilence. Historians record that all of these had actually happened during the previous last three or four decades of the 1st century. Christians had suffered through them like all other citizens of the Roman Empire and would continue to suffer for some time to come.
John did not say that these were retribution for the sins of the world. These evils had not been caused by the will of God. They had been tolerated by God’s permission. John used them to declare that the sovereignty of Christ exists even where sin and death are most evident. As in the Cross, human wickedness can be turned to the service of God’s purpose. Nothing can happen which cannot be woven into God’s eternal redemptive purpose.
With the opening of the fifth seal, John saw the souls of many martyrs beneath an altar of heaven. By the end of the 1st century there had been innumerable martyrs executed for proclaiming the gospel to the world. They were given white robes symbolizing immortality and asking them to wait for their final deliverance while martyrdom continued for their brothers and sisters still being persecuted.
THE SCROLL
Several scholarly proposals have been made as to the exact significance of the scroll taken by the Lamb (i.e. Christ) from the hand of “the One seated on the throne” (i.e. God)(5:7). The most meaningful of these theories states that the scroll represents God’s redemptive plan, foreshadowed in the Old Testament, by which God asserts sovereignty over the sinful world and thus achieves the purpose of creation. The symbol of the scroll itself was taken from Ezekiel 2:9-3:3 where it represents divine judgment on Israel for rebellion against God.
The figure of the Lamb occurs no less than twenty-nine times in the book. There can be no mistaking the symbol for 1st century Christians and universally in Christian art since then. The Lamb is Jesus, the Messiah/Christ, as in the Baptist's cry in John 1:29. The imagery comes from the Old Testament, unquestionably the messianic interpretation of Isaiah 53:7 as in Acts 8:32 and 1 Peter 1:19. He alone is worthy to open the scroll because Christ has already won the victory over sin and death by his death and resurrection.
Until the scroll is opened the divine purpose remains unknown and unattainable by humanity. Thus the self-sacrificing and redemptive love of Jesus Christ becomes the means by which God does overcome all that is evil.
The resounding praise of the four living creatures and twenty-four assembled elders together with the great heavenly host and all of creation also has great meaning. It celebrates the victory of Christ extended to the whole universe. In Christ God has already reconciled the whole universe to himself. The task of the church as the representative of Christ on earth to make known to all who will hear what is already anticipated by the heavenly chorus.
This is designed to encourage the faithful in the seven churches struggling in oppressive circumstances, assuring them that the final outcome has been decided.
The figure of the Lamb occurs no less than twenty-nine times in the book. There can be no mistaking the symbol for 1st century Christians and universally in Christian art since then. The Lamb is Jesus, the Messiah/Christ, as in the Baptist's cry in John 1:29. The imagery comes from the Old Testament, unquestionably the messianic interpretation of Isaiah 53:7 as in Acts 8:32 and 1 Peter 1:19. He alone is worthy to open the scroll because Christ has already won the victory over sin and death by his death and resurrection.
Until the scroll is opened the divine purpose remains unknown and unattainable by humanity. Thus the self-sacrificing and redemptive love of Jesus Christ becomes the means by which God does overcome all that is evil.
The resounding praise of the four living creatures and twenty-four assembled elders together with the great heavenly host and all of creation also has great meaning. It celebrates the victory of Christ extended to the whole universe. In Christ God has already reconciled the whole universe to himself. The task of the church as the representative of Christ on earth to make known to all who will hear what is already anticipated by the heavenly chorus.
This is designed to encourage the faithful in the seven churches struggling in oppressive circumstances, assuring them that the final outcome has been decided.
THE VISION OF A HEAVENLY COUNCIL
The next several chapters are given over to a series of visions of heaven and special events that will affect the faithful witnesses on earth. The scene in ch. 4 is the council room of God with twelve elders representing the people of God, Israel, and the twelve apostles of Christ standing near the divine throne.
Also in this room are seven lamps representing the seven churches and four living creatures – a lion, an ox, a man and an eagle. This latter group probably do not represent astrological figures. But they do have a direct relation to the seraphim of Isaiah 6:2 and the cherubim of Ezekiel 1:4-21. They function as leaders of the worship of the One seated on the throne and the Lamb.
Another important aspect of this scene is the sea of glass like crystal in front of the throne. Later in the book John himself interpreted this symbol (13:1) as the reservoir of evil out of which the monster (i.e. the Roman empire) arose. It is also the sea of evil through which the redeemed must pass in a new Exodus. In other words, evil and all that opposes the will of God will disappear as part of the temporal order when the new heaven and the new earth appear according to God’s design (21:1).
If nothing else, John is trying to dispel the common belief that evil, like God, is eternal. Hence the song of the host gathered in the heavenly throne room praises the holiness of God in such a way that all evil must vanish before it. All that exists is by divine creation, but God is not about to demolish creation as in the flood of Gen. 6-8. God will redeem it so that all creation will respond to God’s love in devout worship and service. The coming ordeal through which the faithful must pass is part of the whole process of redemption by which all of God’s creation will be brought under divine sovereignty.
Also in this room are seven lamps representing the seven churches and four living creatures – a lion, an ox, a man and an eagle. This latter group probably do not represent astrological figures. But they do have a direct relation to the seraphim of Isaiah 6:2 and the cherubim of Ezekiel 1:4-21. They function as leaders of the worship of the One seated on the throne and the Lamb.
Another important aspect of this scene is the sea of glass like crystal in front of the throne. Later in the book John himself interpreted this symbol (13:1) as the reservoir of evil out of which the monster (i.e. the Roman empire) arose. It is also the sea of evil through which the redeemed must pass in a new Exodus. In other words, evil and all that opposes the will of God will disappear as part of the temporal order when the new heaven and the new earth appear according to God’s design (21:1).
If nothing else, John is trying to dispel the common belief that evil, like God, is eternal. Hence the song of the host gathered in the heavenly throne room praises the holiness of God in such a way that all evil must vanish before it. All that exists is by divine creation, but God is not about to demolish creation as in the flood of Gen. 6-8. God will redeem it so that all creation will respond to God’s love in devout worship and service. The coming ordeal through which the faithful must pass is part of the whole process of redemption by which all of God’s creation will be brought under divine sovereignty.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES
A glance at a map will show that the seven churches were all located in the western edge of the Roman province of Asia (modern Turkey). Pergmum, Smyrna and Ephesus lay on the Aegean seacoast; Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea no more than 100 miles inland on rivers draining into that sea. All seven faced varying circumstances which impaired their faithful witness to Christ.
Ephesus is described as a passionless church. They had suffered and endured, but they had lost their enthusiasm for their faith. They also had some traitors – Nicolaitans – among them. Scholars presume that these were either Gnostics or another heretical sect that still retained some pagan practices such as idolatry and immorality, both rampant in Ephesus.
Smyrna, on the other hand, apparently struggled with a Jewish synagogue. They also were threatened with imprisonment and possibly death for their faith.
Pergamum felt serious oppression from Roman imperial authorities. Already one of their number had been martyred. The Nicolaitans also were causing them trouble, but were not being dealt with decisively.
Thyatira had been faithful but their witness had been compromised by a prophetess who still led some astray into sexual immorality and eating meat sacrificed to idols.
Sardis had fallen into a lazy participation in the life of faith, although some still maintained a vigorous witness.
Philadelphia also struggled with Judaizers, but were patiently enduring. Laodicea, however, had become complacent and lukewarm in their witness. They needed to repent and realize their true situation.
Like all of us today, none were perfect.
Ephesus is described as a passionless church. They had suffered and endured, but they had lost their enthusiasm for their faith. They also had some traitors – Nicolaitans – among them. Scholars presume that these were either Gnostics or another heretical sect that still retained some pagan practices such as idolatry and immorality, both rampant in Ephesus.
Smyrna, on the other hand, apparently struggled with a Jewish synagogue. They also were threatened with imprisonment and possibly death for their faith.
Pergamum felt serious oppression from Roman imperial authorities. Already one of their number had been martyred. The Nicolaitans also were causing them trouble, but were not being dealt with decisively.
Thyatira had been faithful but their witness had been compromised by a prophetess who still led some astray into sexual immorality and eating meat sacrificed to idols.
Sardis had fallen into a lazy participation in the life of faith, although some still maintained a vigorous witness.
Philadelphia also struggled with Judaizers, but were patiently enduring. Laodicea, however, had become complacent and lukewarm in their witness. They needed to repent and realize their true situation.
Like all of us today, none were perfect.
JOHN’S CALL AND COVERING LETTER
We do not know who John really was. Through the ages he has been identified with several of the same name: John the Apostle, another person who authored the Gospel of John, and John the Elder who wrote one or more of the three letters of John. Scholars still debate the question without resolution.
In the introduction to his modern paraphrase (1957) J.B. Phillips described the primary intent of the book as upholding the absolute sovereignty of God and God’s ultimate purpose to destroy all forms of evil. The death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ (“the Lamb who was slain”] accomplished this. Accordingly, the faithful can endure persecution and even martyrdom for their faith and be assured of the final victory in life beyond death.
The congregations in the seven cities would be mostly illiterate. So the book was written to be read aloud in the churches. The visions, therefore, were word pictures and vivid symbols intended to carry special meaning to the audience. They may well have understood the symbols and figures in relation to contemporary events, but we have much more difficulty interpreting them. It is a great mistake to interpret these symbols in relation to events of our own time.
Chapter 1 consists of brief details of John’s call (vss. 1-3) and a covering letter addressed to the seven churches. Included in the letter are a few details about his exile and his first vision of the Son of Man standing among seven golden lampstands representing the seven churches. The intent of this covering letter and visions is to give particular authority to what John is about to say. The Son of Man was a typical Jewish apocalyptic figure, but in this case referring to Jesus, the true Messiah.
In the introduction to his modern paraphrase (1957) J.B. Phillips described the primary intent of the book as upholding the absolute sovereignty of God and God’s ultimate purpose to destroy all forms of evil. The death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ (“the Lamb who was slain”] accomplished this. Accordingly, the faithful can endure persecution and even martyrdom for their faith and be assured of the final victory in life beyond death.
The congregations in the seven cities would be mostly illiterate. So the book was written to be read aloud in the churches. The visions, therefore, were word pictures and vivid symbols intended to carry special meaning to the audience. They may well have understood the symbols and figures in relation to contemporary events, but we have much more difficulty interpreting them. It is a great mistake to interpret these symbols in relation to events of our own time.
Chapter 1 consists of brief details of John’s call (vss. 1-3) and a covering letter addressed to the seven churches. Included in the letter are a few details about his exile and his first vision of the Son of Man standing among seven golden lampstands representing the seven churches. The intent of this covering letter and visions is to give particular authority to what John is about to say. The Son of Man was a typical Jewish apocalyptic figure, but in this case referring to Jesus, the true Messiah.
THE MESSAGE OF THE REVELATION OF JOHN
Professor Northrop Frye, of
Like all Old Testament prophecy, John sought to setf orth his insight into God’s will and purpose for the faithful at a critical time in the life of the congregations he knew in seven Greek cities of
Apparently, he himself had run afoul of the Roman authorities and had been imprisoned on the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea. More intense martyrdom than he had already suffered lay ahead. In the end their victory in faith was assured by the victory of God’ s redeeming love in Christ.
Scholars generally agree that Revelation was written about 95 CE during the last years of Emperor Domitian. That emperor persecuted all who refused to accept the state religion and worship him as divine. For Christians this created a very simple but critical issue: Was Jesus Lord and God or was Caesar?
John wrote Revelation to communicate his own faith in the absolute sovereignty of God and Jesus Christ and to encourage the faithful to stand fast under the coming persecution. His visionary prophecies presented the Gospel tradition in a very different way.
THE BOOK OF REVELATION - AN APOCALYPSE
A class of literature called apocalypse, derived from the Greek word “to uncover” or “reveal,” appears in both Old and New Testaments. This type of literature existed in Jewish circles between 250 BCE and 200 CE and was subsequently taken up by the Christian authors. Most scholars believe that the style originated with or depended upon the oracles of Israel’s prophets. In general it has the form of divine disclosures made through visions, dreams, and angelic beings.
In the Christian Bible, the two main apocalypses are Daniel and Revelation. But the Old Testament prophetic books also includes similar writings in Ezekiel 38-39, Isaiah 24-27, Zechariah 12-14, and Joel 3. Mark 13 and Matthew 24 and 25 in the New Testament also qualify as apocalyptic teaching attributed to Jesus. A number of non-biblical apocalypses appeared in both Jewish and Christian circles, including some of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in the mid-20th century CE. None of these were admitted to either canon.
Three main stylistic types can be identified in this genre: 1) Visionary experiences in dreams, trances or visual/physical transference to the ends of the earth or heaven. 2) Symbolic imagery. 3) Counsel for tough times resolved by God’s intervention in history. Through these literary means the authors sought to deal with issues of their own times and the anticipated end of history.
Often this involved cosmic cataclysms symbolized by earthquakes, famine, dreadful portents and holocausts. Finally, there would be a final resolution of all these troubles when history would be consummated in the reign of God, the eschaton. From this came the theological term “eschatology,” the study of end times.
In the Christian Bible, the two main apocalypses are Daniel and Revelation. But the Old Testament prophetic books also includes similar writings in Ezekiel 38-39, Isaiah 24-27, Zechariah 12-14, and Joel 3. Mark 13 and Matthew 24 and 25 in the New Testament also qualify as apocalyptic teaching attributed to Jesus. A number of non-biblical apocalypses appeared in both Jewish and Christian circles, including some of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in the mid-20th century CE. None of these were admitted to either canon.
Three main stylistic types can be identified in this genre: 1) Visionary experiences in dreams, trances or visual/physical transference to the ends of the earth or heaven. 2) Symbolic imagery. 3) Counsel for tough times resolved by God’s intervention in history. Through these literary means the authors sought to deal with issues of their own times and the anticipated end of history.
Often this involved cosmic cataclysms symbolized by earthquakes, famine, dreadful portents and holocausts. Finally, there would be a final resolution of all these troubles when history would be consummated in the reign of God, the eschaton. From this came the theological term “eschatology,” the study of end times.
Here Beginneth This Blog
Greetings to all you Bible Study enthusiasts.
I have created this blog to present my study of the Book of Revelation following the outline I used with a group of seniors at the church where my wife and I normally worship, Glen Abbey United Church, Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
When I posted a suggestion about this study to E-Talk, one of the many e-mail groups I follow on a daily basis, a great many of you replied that you would be interested in seeing it. I felt it would be advisable to create this blog to save myself and you as much time and work as possible. By doing so, I realize that I am revealing it to the world. That is exactly what we are intended to do with the Bible, isn't it? You are welcome to make whatever use of this study as you wish. I ask only one favour: Please use it with attribution.
The study was based on the seminal work of the late Professor George B. Caird, one time professor of New Testament at my alma mater, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and later Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford. His Commentary on The Revelation of St. John the Divine was first published in 1966 by Adam and Charles Black, of London, UK in the series Black's New Testament Commentaries . I also used other resources as well in preparing the introductions published here, but Caird's was the primary one.
I shall be reviewing each of the fourteen introductions and posting them here individually over the next few days. Please check back whenever you wish to see what has been posted.
I have created this blog to present my study of the Book of Revelation following the outline I used with a group of seniors at the church where my wife and I normally worship, Glen Abbey United Church, Oakville, Ontario, Canada.
When I posted a suggestion about this study to E-Talk, one of the many e-mail groups I follow on a daily basis, a great many of you replied that you would be interested in seeing it. I felt it would be advisable to create this blog to save myself and you as much time and work as possible. By doing so, I realize that I am revealing it to the world. That is exactly what we are intended to do with the Bible, isn't it? You are welcome to make whatever use of this study as you wish. I ask only one favour: Please use it with attribution.
The study was based on the seminal work of the late Professor George B. Caird, one time professor of New Testament at my alma mater, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, and later Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford. His Commentary on The Revelation of St. John the Divine was first published in 1966 by Adam and Charles Black, of London, UK in the series Black's New Testament Commentaries . I also used other resources as well in preparing the introductions published here, but Caird's was the primary one.
I shall be reviewing each of the fourteen introductions and posting them here individually over the next few days. Please check back whenever you wish to see what has been posted.
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