Text: Rev 16:12-16
OT Text: Zech 12:10-14 and 1 Kings 18:19-46 Featured Verse: Rev 16:16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. Main Idea: John's vision of a final battle sets the stage for God's victory over the unified forces of evil. We will cover verse 15 tomorrow. It is a parenthetical comment about "staying ready" and awaiting the return of Christ, which deserves its own day to consider. Analysis The OT prophets predicted a final climactic battle in which the enemies of God would surround Israel for a final conflict. This last battle idea is described in several places in the book of Revelation. In each place, it is best to understand that the visions use symbolic language to describe the same last battle. There are clear depictions of this in Rev 19:19 and 20:8. There are also references to armies gathering for war in other places, which also seem to be talking about the same thing. (See 9:16 and 11:7.) This last battle is clearly described in symbolic language. The demonic powers of the dragon, beast, and false prophet are pictured as "frogs." Commentator Greg Beale suggested that the croaking of the frogs was a picture of the confusing, but empty noise produced by demonic deception. But the location of the last battle is also symbolic. The name "Armageddon" is a combination of two historic locations.* The plains of Megiddo are the site of important battles for the Israelites as they moved toward the promised land.** Technically, there is no "mountain" of Megiddo, as the name suggests, but close to the plains of Megiddo is the famous Mount Carmel, where Elijah had his showdown with the prophets of Baal. (1 Kings 18:19-46.) Conclusion and Application I will add a personal note and say that when I visited Israel five years ago, our tour took us to Mt. Carmel, where we could look out over the plains of Megiddo. It is certainly possible that God intends to have a final battle on these plains, but the point of Revelation is not to give us that sort of information. Rather, the point is to see that a pattern threads throughout all of Scripture. Time and again, God brings his people to a place in which they are surrounded by enemies who are stronger than they are. Their only deliverance is God himself. Certainly, this pattern will play out again and again in church history, and we expect that it will conclude in a dramatic way as history draws to a close. In the final battle, the theme is always the same. God is our deliverance. When we are out gunned, and out manned, God provides the victory. Notes * Har-Megiddo means Mountain at Megiddo. ** "Megiddo became proverbial in Judaism as the place where righteous Israelites were attacked by evil nations." Greg Beale, Revelation: A Shorter Commentary, p 346. Text: Rev 15:5-16:11
OT Text: Luke 16:19-31 (The story of the rich man and Lazarus.) Featured Verse: Rev 16:10-11 The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds. Main Idea: The resistance of the human heart to God is on full display in this passage. Even the full measure of God's wrath is not enough to push people to repentance. We need the Spirit of God to intervene and give new life. A quick reminder of where we are in the book. The middle chapters (6-16) consist of 4 sets of judgments. They have similar patterns, but increase in intensity. The 7 seals affect 1/4 of the earth, the 7 trumpets impact 1/3 of the world, the 7 thunders are replaced by 7 visions which show spiritual warfare. Now we have the final series of judgments, the 7 bowls of wrath. Unlike the prior judgments, they impact the world in totality. As they are introduced in 15:1, "with them the wrath of God is finished." Analysis The Seven Bowls of Wrath follow a similar pattern as the Seven Trumpets*, but the judgement is no longer restrained. It seems that in this section, John has zoomed in on the end. He shows a final display of judgment as God's wrath is poured out on the world. Like the Trumpet judgments before them, they are modeled after the 10 plagues that God used to defeat Pharoah and lead the oppressed Israelites out of the promised land. Conclusion and Application The challenge of this section is not trying to figure out what it means. Rather, the challenge is to wrestle with the larger concept of God's wrath. When John sees this full display of God's wrath, he hears a voice from the altar in heaven** saying, "Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments." This perspective highlights our difficulty. I would suspect that most people don't read about the wrath of God being poured out and immediately respond with praise to God for his true and just judgment. Instead, we may think: How can this bloodthirsty celebration square with the mercy and forgiveness of Christ? First, we should notice that all of the Bible tells us that patience in suffering is grounded in the confidence that God will one day mete out perfect justice. Jesus tells us to love our enemies, but he also spoke clearly about the coming judgment. (For example, Matt 24-25) Paul called Christians to forego self vengeance. But the reason for this was the promise that "vengeance belongs to God."(Rom 12:19) Rather than try to tie this up in a neat package, I think that it is better to sit with this a little longer. On one hand, the Bible clearly calls the followers of Jesus to suffer patiently after the model of Christ. On the other hand, it does not deny the reality of evil, the difficulty of suffering or the honest assessment that the world is a broken and fallen place. Recognition of God's coming judgment on the world necessarily challenges our understanding of what the world is like. It is far more deeply fallen than we are tempted to believe. Human rebellion is more entrenched than we would like to believe. Of course, we need to remember that the mercy of Jesus is sufficient to pardon anyone who would call on the name of Jesus and seek forgiveness in him. We should be quick to bear witness to that saving mercy. But the Bible is also realistic about the hardness of the human heart. Just as Pharoah hardened his heart in the sight of the terrible plagues, so it is that human stubbornness refuses to turn to God even when the full measure of his wrath is poured out. Notes * The pattern is, in part, 1st - earth, 2nd - sea, 3rd - rivers and springs, 4th - sun/moon/stars. * There are two connections back to the fifth seal in chapter 6. First, the the angel ties the pouring out of God's judgment to the suffering of the saints. (16:5-6.) Second, in the prior vision, the saints are shown to be "under the heavenly altar." Here the voice of approbation comes from under the altar. (16:7) Text: Rev 14:14-15:4
Our Sunday Worship Services are Livestreamed and recorded on YouTube. Text: Rev 14:6-13
OT Text :Exodus 20:1-6 (The first 3 commandments) Featured Verse: Rev 14:7 And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” Main Idea: The war being waged between Satan and the church hinges on the question of who we will worship. The consequences of that choice are enormous. This is the fifth vision in a series of seven visions. It has some similarity to the fifth seal judgment and the fifth trumpet judgment. Analysis The first four visions of this series have shown the opposing sides in a cosmic war.* Now three angels from heaven narrate the drama. It makes me think of a boxing announcer calling out the introduction to a heavy weight fight. "In one corner we have the ferocious enemies of God. The reigning champions of human empire, the unholy trinity of dragon, beast and false prophet.** Who----ooooo is like the beast?" "And in the other corner, wearing the blood washed robes of the lamb, we have 144,000 followers of the lamb." "Ladies and gentleman, this has the look of a slaughter." From an earthly vantage point, the battle seems hopeless. But God's Spirit works through his church even when they are small and seemingly insignificant. Those who resist the beast - even at the cost of their own lives - "conquer." They will conquer the same way that Jesus conquered, but "not loving their lives unto death." (12:11) But what really comes to the forefront of this vision is the way in which the whole battle hinges on the question of worship. On one hand, the first angel reminds us that God alone is the creator and he alone is worthy of worship. (14:7) On the other hand, the second angel announces that coming judgment on the enemy city of man, and the third proclaims judgment on those who "worship the beast and his image." (14:9) As the armies close for battle, it becomes apparent how this will be fought. This spiritual battle will not be fought with swords and spears. Instead it is a war of worship. The dragon wins when he convinces people to worship the beast. he will use power, seduction, and any form of manipulation to accomplish this task. On the other hand, when the church resists this call - they are victorious. Even if resisting means that they face physical death in this world. John reassures them, "blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." (14:13) Conclusion and Application Christians reading this in the late first century would have been very familiar with a battle being waged on those lines. The Emperor Domitian had pushed the envelope on Emperor worship even further. In a display of beastly power, he trumpeted his own claims at divinity and presented this idolatrous worship as a test of political allegiance.*** As we saw in prior readings, there is evidence that the regional powers of Asia Minor encouraged this sort of thing in ways that mirrored the actions of the false prophet (the second beast from the land.) For some Christians, the question of whether to worship the emperor would be a question of life and death. These visions help them to see that conflict as being the heart of the cosmic battle. A small act of false worship could satisfy the emperor and avoid persecution, but even a small act of worship was complicity with the dragon. Even a small act of false worship was surrender in the front line of the battle. The consequences were catastrophic. For some Christians today, this remains a very real threat.**** But, for most Christians in the West, the trial of false worship remains less overt and more subtle. We are not called to worship literal idols, but there are battle lines that run throughout our soul. Money, sex and power are presented to us as absolute masters and we are often called to worship them in ways that deny our discipleship and compromise our witness. At first, the compromise may seem small, but small actions are linked to a larger cosmic conflict. Small compromises lead to bigger compromises, which flow down stream into the pool of apostasy. Where do you find the battle lines to be drawn in your own heart and life? Notes * Remember, that the dragon was said to "war" against the church (12:17) and the followers of the Lamb are an assembly in the visionary form of an army mustered for battle. ** Since the second beast has a type of religious role and directs worship back to the first beast (that rose from the sea), it seems that John takes to calling this second beast (that rose from the land) by the name of "false prophet." That term is found in Rev 16:13, 19:20 and 20:10 seemingly as a replacement for "second beast." Understandably, it would not be easy to keep using the titles "first beast" and "second beast." *** J. B. Caird wrote, "It would be within the realm of legal competence of the local authorities to bring a capital charge against anyone who did not join in the worship of the emperor; how systematically they did this would be another matter." (The Revelation of Saint John, p 177) **** As we pray for the church in China, or learn about the church in India during the adult SS time at CRPC, we see many examples in which Christians are being pressed with this choice. Text: Rev 14:1-5
OT Text: Romans 11:1-6 Featured Verse: Rev 14:1 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. Main Idea: We see a counter-point to the dragon and the beasts. There are followers of Jesus who remain faithful even in the face of great opposition. Take heart, you are not alone! Analysis After multiple visions in which we see the dragon and the two beasts waging war on humanity and on the church, this fourth vision switches to a very different scene. Like a scene from a war movie in which the camera pans from one line of battle across to the opposing line of battle*, John now sees the "Army of the Lamb." Granted, the text does not explicitly use the word army, but our prior reference to the 144,000 depicted OT imagery that showed them "mustering" for war. (See the book of Numbers, especially chapter 1) There are other aspects of the passage which seem to continue the picture of an assembled spiritual army. First, we see their close connection to Jesus. Eventually, Jesus will show up as the "Rider on the White Horse" (Rev 19:11-21) who will defeat the beasts and throw them into the lake of fire. Now, the 144,000 are depicted as those who "follow the Lamb where ever he goes." (14:4). Second, we see that they are directly in contrast with the beast. They do not have the mark of the beast on their heads, instead they have the name of God (14:1.) While the beast is deceiving the nations, the 144,000 have no lie found in their mouths. (14:5.) Finally, the reference to defiling themselves with women has strong connections to OT warfare. When God called the men of Israel to participate in warfare, they were directed to consecrate ("set apart for a purpose") themselves and observe certain regulations while they were participating in war. One of those regulations was that they were directed to abstain from sexuality while they were consecrated for war. (Deut 23:9-10, 1 Sam 21:5, 2 Sam 11:8-11.) This may seem strange to modern people - especially those distanced from the practice of warfare - but there was great practical importance. On one hand, prostitution was a big problem associated with gathered armies in all ages. For instance, during the civil war, so many prostitutes followed the Union Army under General Joseph Hooker, that these women came to be called, "hookers." On the other hand, military victories can cause undisciplined soldiers to unleash their fury and frustration on the enemy civilians. Pillage and rape have often been the tragic corollaries of conquest in many wars. Viewed against this backdrop, the army of the Lamb distinguishes itself from their beastly opponents by their sexual self-control and restraint.** Conclusion and Application 1.) Because we are involved in a spiritual war, we are called to exercise self-control in regard to our sexuality. Sex, is not bad, but it is something which can cause us to harm our neighbors. Learning to control ourselves is part of our call to follow the Lamb. Inside the bounds of marriage, sex is a blessing from God, but living with respect for that boundary requires divine assistance from the Lord. This is no small thing, but a big part of our participation in the spiritual battle. 2.) The size of this army is also an encouragement. While the dragon rages and the beasts manipulate, there still stands an army of God which does not bow the knee to the enemy. We can take comfort from knowing that God is empowering his followers - who are also broken humans - to live with increased faithfulness. (See Romans 11:1-6 for the Biblical idea of the faithful remnant.) Notes * I had in mind one of the opening scenes from the Lord of the Rings in which the "Last Alliance of Men and Elves" faced off against Sauron's army. ** The reference to the men in the army of the Lamb as "virgins" has led some in church history to view celibacy as a higher calling than that of marriage. For example, in the Roman Catholic tradition, priests were not allowed to be married and monks and nuns who took a vow of celibacy were often viewed as the ideal. The Bible does not elsewhere elevate celibacy over marriage, so it is unwise to use this visionary picture as the ground for a new doctrine. Rather, it seems that the army of the lamb appears to be something of a "standing army", in that they are perpetually at war while the lamb reigns. In other words, the word "virgin" seems to be part of the symbolism, rather than a prescription for all faithful followers of Christ. On the other hand, the picture of this army can certainly be a source of validation for those Christians whose call to follow Jesus leads them to a life of singleness. Text: Rev 13:18
Parallel Passage: Matt 24:23-25 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand. Main Idea: The beast is a minion of Satan who leads people astray through deception. Analysis This single verse has generated a great deal of interest over the years, such that people who are not very familiar with the Bible still know that the number "666" is associated with evil powers. The number 666 is found three other places in the Bible, but in each of those places it refers to a fairly innocuous tabulation.* But here, the number 666 casts a shadow far larger than its single reference would indicate. In fact, for many people, it is probably one of the first things that they associate with the book of Revelation. In fairness, John himself draws attention to this number. He underscores the need for wisdom in dealing with this. Then he directs us to "calculate" the number of the beast. We are told it is the "number of a man." So, What does "666 mean", and who does this number refer to? As you might imagine there are numerous suggestions about how to "calculate" this number. The ancient practice of gematria usually lies at the heart of most calculations. To understand gematria, you need to recognize that in the ancient world most numerical systems used letters as numbers. Those familiar with Roman Numerals would understand this. In that system, "X", "I" and "V" (among others) have numerical values, such that XLIII would mean "43." Much later, the western world adopted the Arabic numeral system to the relief of mathematicians everywhere. While Roman Numerals (and other systems) were pretty hard to use, they did have the intriguing possibility of associating numerical values with words or names. You could add up the value of the letters and achieve a numerical value for a name. With this system in mind, it is often suggested that the number 666 is meant to refer to the total value of all of the letters with numerical value in a particular person's name. I will give (what I believe to be) the best guess at which particular name it could be below. But first a word of caution. Gematria is a fairly imprecise science when you try to move from a numerical value back to a particular name. In theory every name only has one value, but when you go the other direction, a huge number of names can have the same value. And, unfortunately, there is not an easy or obvious calculation for this particular number. As a result, history has offered a really large number of suggestions for who this might be referring to. In many cases, the proposals involve a fair amount of fudging. That is counting some letters and not others, or moving back and forth between various languages. (Again, I explain the leading suggestion below.) By contrast, there is something that we can say about the symbolic value of the number. In the book of Revelation most numbers have clear symbolic value. Twelves, fours, and especially sevens appear frequently and have symbolic importance. Though it is not as common, the number six also has symbolic importance. In the Genesis account, mankind was created on the six day. For that reason, and because six falls short of the full "glory" or seven, it can be recognized that the number six has the symbolic significance of representing the incomplete striving of sinful humanity. If we would expect the number of divine perfection to be something like "7-7-7", then it follows that "6-6-6" represents the fullness of sinful humanity. In that symbolic sense, the number of the beast identifies him as the "supreme representative of unregenerate humanity, separated from God and unable to divine likeness - but always trying."** Additional Analysis In the flood of suggestions for who the number of the beast should refer to, there is one number that rises above the rest. "Nero Caesar" can be made to tabulate the total value of "666" - if it is transliterated into Hebrew and some alterations are made to the name.*** There is a compelling reason to tie this to Nero, given the first century context. Nero was the first Emperor to institute an official (though localized) persecution of Christians. During the 60's he persecuted Christians in Rome after a great fire burned down a large section of the city. The early church believed that both the Apostles Peter and Paul were killed during this persecution, perhaps the "fiery trial" that Peter warned of in his letter.**** While the actual Nero became mentally unhinged and died shortly later, he was a particularly beastly guy. There was a persistent rumor that one day Nero would return to resume his reign of terror. With that in mind, there are some other places where the figure of Nero seems to clothe the beastly figure of Revelation.***** While, Nero was dead and buried, the "spirit of Nero" was alive and well in Emperor Domitian, who would institute the first empire-wide persecution during the 90's. If this was the challenge that John's churches were facing, then it would be understandable that John would both think of Domitian as "Nero Part II" - and also that he would not want to put this explicitly in writing. While all of this is intriguing... I offer it with a word of caution, because it is not as clear as we might like, and because it can easily distract us from the central concerns of the prophecy. Conclusion and Application If we get too lost in the rabbit hole of trying to number the beast, then we can miss the point. In the vision of the two beasts, the power of Satan is working behind the political and religious powers. The central concern is about who you will worship. When we read about beasts 1 & 2, we probably imagine ridiculous images in our mind, and wonder how anyone could be deceived. But for those that are experiencing this beastly power first-hand, it is a far more difficult thing. When the power of the beasts looms large, it would seem like no one on earth can challenge them. The reflexive human response is "who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?" John wants us to calculate carefully. Though the combined power of the state and the seduction of compromised religion may seem powerful, the beast is merely human. In every age, every manifestation of beastly power will not be able to escape the judgment of God. As God shakes the heavens and the earth, seemingly overwhelming human powers will crumble and fall. At the end of the day, beastly power is human power and it will sink beneath God's mighty hand. At the appointed time - either in history, or at the end of all things - all human institutions will be exposed as merely human before the awesome power of the creator. Looks can be deceiving. Calculate carefully, and offer your worship to God alone. Notes * Ezra 2:12-14 lists the number of descendants in a genealogy as 666, and the other two references (1 King 10:14 and 2 Chron 9:13) refer to the amount of gold coins paid in tribute to King Solomon. Neither appear to have any diabolical significance in the context. ** Greg Beale, Revelation a Shorter Commentary, p287. *** The fact that the tabulation must be done in Hebrew, while Revelation is written in Greek is a significant objection to this name, however. And even in Hebrew, the most natural spelling doesn't automatically work. On the plus side, a common variation of the spelling for "Nero Caesar" would yield the total "616" which is a number found in some ancient variant scrolls of the Book of Revelation. That is, it appears some scribes made a error when copying this book, and in a couple of cases, that error was to write the number as 616. Maybe it means nothing, and maybe it means they were thinking of this other variant for Nero Caesar. **** I Peter 4:13. ***** This idea is called "Nero Redivivus" by historians. The Wikipedia page is short and helpful. Other places in Revelation that seem to refer to this are pictures of the first beast as having a mortal wound that was healed (13:4,12,14.) Text: Rev 13:11-17
OT Text: Daniel 3 Featured Verse: Rev 13:12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. Main Idea: The second beast uses a different method to seduce the church into false worship. Analysis OK, at first this may seem a little redundant. You may be thinking, another beast? Is this a zoo? While the two beasts are similar, the significance of this second beast lies in where they are different. The first beast rises from the sea, while the second rises from the earth. For first century Christians living in Asia Minor, they experienced the Imperial power from Rome as something that came to them from "over the sea."* By contrast, there were dangerous forces which were more homegrown. While the first beast exercises dominion and authority**, that is political power, the second beast uses its power to compel false worship. The power of the second beast is not from its military might, but from its seductive attraction. That is found in several forms. First, he performs counterfeit miracles which "deceive" people. (13:14a) Then, he creates an "image" to encourage false worship. (13:14b) Finally, he creates a "mark" which is necessary for economic activity. (16-17) The purpose of this is all to direct worship to the first beast. So serious is this endeavor that those who refuse to do so risk being killed. (13:15) First century Christians, didn't have to stretch their imagination too far to find examples. In many ways, their experiences seem to make the most sense of the text. The imperial power that came from "over the sea" would claim absolute authority and place demands on the church that they could not obey. But some of the problem came from "home grown" sources. Historians have noted that the practice of emperor worship was more restrained in the West, where the original Romans were hesitant to declare an emperor divine during his lifetime. By contrast, the Eastern part of the empire was where the more egregious practices began. G. B. Caird wrote that the provincial council of Asia Minor were the ones who initiated the practice of worshipping a living emperor, going back as far as Augustus.*** History would show us that during the the reign of Domitian in the 90's, the cult of imperial worship would instigate the first wave of empire wide persecution and lead to a dramatic confrontation between the church and the state. John's vision fortified the church for conflict and revealed the true battle which lay behind Domitian's mad grasp for absolute power. Conclusion and Application What do we make of all this? These visions show us that multiple powers are at work in the world. There is the military power of the government. But there is also the power of false religion and man-made philosophy. The first comes at us with power and fear. The second comes with seduction. In John's visions, these powers are entangled together. In our experience, one aspect or another can be more present. Sometimes, the dragon uses the military force of the first beast to try to suppress the church. Other times he comes at the church with the seduction of signs, wonders, and false religion. Other times it is the allure of wealth and prosperity that come through compromise. In some parts of the world today, Christians have to endure oppressive military power. In other parts, the economy dictates the terms. Money talks. Which do you think is more likely to influence the church in America? Notes * G. B. Caird (The Revelation of St. John) described it this way: "The first beast represents the Roman imperial power which, for the province of Asia, annually came up out of the sea, with the arrival of the proconsul at Ephesus. The second beast represents an indigenous authority." He then shows how this pattern is found in other writings and quotes the NT scholar Ramsay who wrote, "Whatever comes from the sea is foreign, and whatever comes from the land is a native product." ** He "makes war on the saints to conquer them." (13:7) *** Ibid. "It was historically true that the [provincial council of Asia] had made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first monster; for it would never have occurred to [Caesar] Augustus to claim divinity, if the Asian provinces, accustomed as they were to the worship of their previous oriental rulers, had not taken the initiative in elevating him to a place among the immortals, city vying with city for the right to erect a temple to Rome and Augustus." Text: Rev 13:1-10
OT Text: Daniel 7:1-8 Featured Verse: Rev 13:2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. Main Idea: Satan works through totalitarian political powers to deceive the nations and oppress the church. [This is the second vision of the sequence and introduces the second enemy of the church. Together with the beast that rises from the sea - introduced in the next vision - they form an "unholy trinity" in opposition to the gospel.] Analysis The first beast rises from the sea and has a "throne and great authority" given to it by the dragon. The message is that the dragon uses other agents to accomplish his purposes. The role that this first beast plays is political. In fact, the extent of his power extends to "every tribe and people and language and nation." (13:8) So what is this all about? The first frame of reference is to compare this to the biblical context. The OT prophet Daniel wrote of world empires that were represented by beastly figures. (Dan 7:1-8) The language that John uses is clearly drawn from Daniel. We also recognize that the beast is a counterfeit messiah. Jesus had warned of "false Christs" (Matt 24:5) and this seems to be just that sort of thing. The beast (like the true Lamb) has the appearance of being slain with a mortal wound (13:3), he is followed and worshipped like the true Christ. He also has a counterfeit world-wide kingdom and claims universal power that only belongs to Jesus. The reign of the beast from the sea is for 42 months - throughout the age of the church.*** The second frame of reference is to compare this to the historical context. While the beast represents the corruption of political power which is found throughout the church age, the actual form of the beast will look different at different times. When we look at this beast through the eyes of the first century churches, the beast looks a lot like the Roman Empire. Only one character fit the bill of someone who had world-wide dominion (13:7-8) - the Emperor of Rome. As the first century was winding down, the practice of worshipping the Roman Emperors as gods began to increase in practice. This would explain the "blasphemous names on the heads." (13:1) In fact, the temptation to demand total allegiance from its citizens motivated the Empire to demand emperor worship from its citizens. This is a demand that faithful Christians could not submit to. Though it could cost them their lives, Christians in these churches in Asia Minor would need to refuse the idolatry of Emperor Worship and the demands of the totalitarian state. Through this vision, John was revealing the true nature of this conflict. When these Christians refused to participate in emperor worship, they were not just resisting the power of an earthly despot. They were participating in a heavenly battle, and refusing to compromise with the beastly agent of the devil. NT scholar Richard Bauckham* wrote, "The images of chapters 12-13 place the coming confrontation between Christians and the power of Rome in the perspective of the cosmic war of evil against God and his faithful people." Conclusion and Application Because the reign of the beast is throughout the age of the church, we recognize different forms of the beast in different ages. Though the beast seems to wear the "clothing" of first century Roman Emperor Domitian in this image, Domitian would pass away and other beastly figures would emerge. In general, Christians are called to submit to the political authorities (Rom 13), unless it conflicts with their calling as disciples. Sometimes faithful (non-violent) disobedience is required.** Whenever a totalitarian leader uses political power to demand absolute allegiance he is acting beastly. Whether it was the Third Reich or Communist USSR, or modern powers, the totalitarian state recognizes no limits on its power and makes demands that Christians cannot comply with. Though this power may be used to kill those that refuse, noncompliance in the processes of beastly worship is done in the power of the Holy Spirit. Those believers who refuse to submit, who refuse to "love their lives unto death" will "conquer by the blood of the lamb." (12:11) So it is for our brothers and sisters around the world. While we, in the West, may not face those same consequences right now, the pressure is real for us too. Our seemingly small choices, in the face of what can feel like overwhelming political power, are actually part of a "cosmic war." Notes *Richard Bauckham, The Theology of the Book of Revelation ** You may notice this reference to Wang Yi's new book, Faithful Disobedience. Pastor Wang Yi has been imprisoned in China for refusing to submit to government regulations regarding worship. This is a very applicable connection to vision of the beast from the sea. *** As we have discussed previously, assuming that "7 years" represents the entirety of redemptive history, then it is divided in half by the cross of Christ into two periods of time called the former days and the last days. In that way of reckoning, 3.5 years, or 42 months or 1,260 days or "time, times and half a time" are all ways of describing the entirety of the church age - that is, the "second half of redemptive history." Text: Rev 12:13-17
OT Text: I Peter 5:8-11 Featured Verse: Rev 12:17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea. Main Idea: Spiritual warfare means that we battle the devil by resisting his purposes in the midst of our lives here on earth. [This is the conclusion of the first vision, which shows the battle that Satan (the "dragon") wages against the church.] Analysis Earlier in this vision we saw that Satan was unsuccessful in his battle against the women and her child. I take that to refer to his inability to prevent the mission of Jesus. The end result of Christ's gospel victory was that Satan also lost the war in heaven. Cast down to earth, he now rages against the woman's offspring.* The church is forced (again) into the wilderness, but the protection of God continues.** This theme resonates with the message of many parts of the NT that God's people will find themselves as heavenly citizens in earthly exile. (Heb 11, I Peter 1-2) Though they are not in a position of visible strength and security, God continues to care for his church (both "the woman" and her "offspring.)*** Conclusion and Application What we see in this passage is that the spiritual war that began in heaven will continue on earth. The seven churches of Revelation are meant to see themselves in this vision. Though they are small, and though they are facing increasing oppression, God cares for them. If they remain steadfast, they will conquer in Christ. But John's visions show the costliness of faith. For some, conquering will mean that they do not "love their lives unto death." (12:11) The transition in this section is important. When we think of "spiritual warfare", we may be tempted to think of it as something that happens out there. But, the cosmic battle between Satan against the church is playing out down here. The seemingly everyday things that conspire to lead us away from Jesus are part of that battle. In the next vision we will see how Satan works through earthly agents (the two "beasts") to continue this war. One beast will coerce with political power. The other beast will seduce with prosperity and alluring idols. What John reveals here is the way in which Satan stands behind the visible earthly powers that we deal with day in and day out. By taking the lid off of this conflict he reminds us how much is at stake. But, even more importantly, he shows us that the power of Satan is limited now, and that one day it will be fully defeated. Notes * We can again be thankful that John identifies the meaning of his symbols. In verse 17, he tells us that the offspring of the woman are "those who hold the testimony of Jesus." ** We are told that the woman was nourished in the wilderness for "time, times and half a time." This is another reference to the 3.5 years which demark the church age. Since the woman represents the people of God, she is both the mother of his child and also identified with the ongoing believing community. *** We see God's care for the church in multiple ways. They are given wings to fly, the river from the serpent is swallowed up, and they are "nourished" in the wilderness. |
AuthorMatt Koerber (unless otherwise noted). Because this devotional links so closely with the sermon series, the preacher for a given week will also write the daily devotionals. Archives
April 2023
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