Revelation for Beginners

CHURCH UNDER FIRE, Revelation 2:8-11

Ever felt persecuted or attacked for your convictions? The church in Smyrna (in modern day Turkey) certainly was experiencing that. Now Jesus has a message for that afflicted congregation. Following our template for these letters, we should first see those portions of the description of Christ seen in chapter one that meet the needs of this particular congregation. These are Jesus’ words from that description that fit: “These things says the First and the Last, who was dead and is come to life.” Jesus is saying, to paraphrase, “What I begin, I can finish. It may look like it’s the end for you, but don’t worry–you won’t lose out in the end because I will achieve my goals. Besides, I know what it’s like to die–I did and was resurrected. That’s your assurance that you, too, will be resurrected if you should lose your life here.”

In verse 9 He commends the church: “I know your works, tribulation [trials and persecution you’re going through], and poverty (but you are rich).” Interestingly, this is the opposite of the church in Laodicea that thinks it is rich but is really poor. Jesus also knows all about the troublemakers who pretend to be followers of God but really are followers of Satan. They no doubt were also a trial for the church.

As far as censure, this one of only two churches that receive no censure.

In verse 10 Jesus begins His counsel to this congregation, to paraphrase: “You are going to be experiencing some periods of severe trials and suffering ahead, but don’t be afraid. In fact, the devil will see that some of you are thrown into prison. You will be tested for sure. There will even be a 10 year period of specially trying persecution. But be faithful, even if it costs you your life in this world, because your resurrection is assured, and I’ll give you a crown of life–eternal life in a better place.”

Finally, in verse 11, the covenant appears. “He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.” That summarizes the previous promise, i.e. you may die the first death in this old world, but you will be resurrected from that (1 Corinthians 15:51-55). But what really couonts is that you will not have to face the second death experience (ch. 20:6, 14) from which there is no resurrection, i.e. you will spared eternal extermination, you will live with Christ forever. The apostle Paul looked forward to that fulfillment of Christ’s promise when he wrote to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:6-8–“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

This message had special meaning for the congregation in Smyrna–they would have recognized themselves in that message. In the historicist view of prophecy, that congregation would become a symbol of the Christian church as it went through times of terrible persecution. Some scholars give approximate dates of 100-313 A.D. as that time in church history. Today you may be going through tough times. Remember God’s promises in Isaiah 41:10–“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Hebrews 13:5–“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” He is able to carry you through just as He did Daniel and his friends with the fiery furnace and lions’ den experiences. Yet, even if we should lose our lives in the process, whether through accident, illness, or martyrdom, Jesus’ promise to us is that if we have been faithful to Him (trusting in Him), there is a crown of life in our future, symbolic of life eternal (i.e. without end). What a wondrous assurance!

BABYLON VS. JERUSALEM

BABYLON VS. JERUSALEM
Some years ago, Saddam Hussein of Iraq envisioned the restoration of ancient Babylon, which would then become a symbol of his kingdom. We know how that ended. However, he wasn’t the first man to dream of Babylonian glory.

In the introduction to this series on Revelation, it was mentioned that understanding the book of Daniel would be very helpful in understanding the book of Revelation. So this category will begin that process. In Daniel 1:1, 2, a tale of two cities takes the stage, namely Babylon and Jerusalem. In Daniel 1 Jerusalem has been besieged and overcome by Nebuchadnezzar, who became the king of Babylon shortly thereafter. Many of the population were taken captive to Babylon along with treasure from the Jerusalem temple, which was then placed in the treasure house of the Babylonian gods. At this point in the story it looks like Babylon and its gods are triumphing, while Jerusalem and the Creator-God of heaven have lost out. Thus a great cosmic struggle is played out on the stage of earth, the controversy between good and evil, between Christ and Satan. If the idea of earth as a stage of sorts seems strange, the apostle Paul actually used the same analogy. In 1 Corinthians 4:9 he states that “we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men.” The Greek word for “spectacle” is better translated as “theater.” So this great controversy, this cosmic struggle, is apparently being intensely observed by beings outside our own world. To summarize, the two cities become symbols of this controversy and show up again in the book of Revelation in symbolic form.

Back in the book of Daniel, chapter two reveals that Babylon will be overthrown and followed by a succession of empires. Chapter 4 shows us Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, bragging on his great city, only to be p0ersonally humiliated by insanity. Chapter 5 portrays the literal fall of ancient Babylon by the Medes and Persians. Ultimately, Babylon ceases to exist as a viable city and today is only ruins for tourists to visit. Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians, rebuilt later by returning exiles during the time of the Medes and Persians, destroyed again by the Romans in A. D. 70 and finally rebuilt again until it is the city it is today in modern Israel. But it is certainly a far cry from the New Jerusalem revealed in Revelation 21, 22–that is still future (more about that another time) and is not an outgrowth or expansion of political Jerusalem of today. It is a heavenly city to become a reality much later when it comes down from heaven.

Babylon pops up in Revelation also, but since there is no longer a literal Babylon, it has to be a symbol for something, which is certainly understandable in a book of many symbols. Revelation reveals that in the end, the final manifestation of Babylon is destroyed (ch. 17-19) and Jerusalem becomes God’s capital city for his eternal kingdom (ch, 20-22).

But what is Babylon really all about, anyway? What does it really stand for and why? We go back into the Old Testament again to trace its roots and thus its true meaning. The first mention of Babylon is in Genesis 10:10 where it tells us Nimrod was “a mighty one on the earth” and “a mighty hunter.” He founded a kingdom consisting of Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh in the land of Shinar. Those names pop up again in chapter 11:2, 9 in the story of the tower of Babel. One source says the population of Babel interpreted its name to mean “gate of the gods.” Maybe that’s what they thought, though soon that “gate” would fail and the gods would be seen to be impotent. The Bible says it was called Babel because God “confused the language of all the earth” (v.9), i.e. it means “confusion.” We can see that root in the meaning of such terms as a babbling brook, or a babble of voices, i.e. there is sound but it is confusing because no distinct words or messages can be distinguished. Confusion would be a part, then, of the final manifestation in Revelation, a confusion as a result of ignoring God’s plain words, promises, and commands. More about that another time.

Genesis 11 gives us some more vital clues regarding the nature of Babylon. First, we go back to Genesis 9. God made a specific promise to mankind along with a specific command, both of which were seemingly problematic for Babylon. The promise in Genesis 9:15 states that “the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.” This was part of His covenant with Noah and his descendents. There would be localized floods from time to time, but never a global one such as Noah and the other inhabitants of the earth experienced. Then there was a command to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” (v.1)

Now note how the Babylonians responded. Genesis 11:4 quotes them as saying “let us build ourselves….a tower whose top is in the heavens.” Apparently they planned an enormous skyscraper, perhaps dwarfing today’s wonders. But why? It suggests they didn’t believe God’s promise about never destroying the earth by a flood again. So they would build a tower, no doubt higher than the previous floodwaters, and thus save themselves. They didn’t trust or believe God’s word. Now, if you don’t trust Him, don’t believe His word, then why would you obey Him? Consequently they were also going to “build ourselves a city…lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” So they in essence disobeyed His command to replenish the earth. They wanted to “make a name for ourselves.” So we see here two basic principles of Babylonian philosophy, distrust leading to disobedience, disobedience being the logical outgrowth of distrust. These principles are self-centered and God is left out even if they say otherwise.

The next part of the story has God coming down to investigate the situation and He is not pleased. First He confuses their language so they can’t understand each other, making it impossible to continue construction on their tower. Have you ever played a group game where each one is given a card with an animal’s name on it (pig, dog, cat, cow, etc.) and everyone is to make the sound of the animal on the card and then they are to find others who are making the same sound (barking, oinking, etc) and form a group of same-sounding animals. It must have been something like that at Babel as they endeavored to find other people they could understand. Then the record states “from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth”–just exactly what they hadn’t wanted to do!

So what’s the point? Babylon is based on those two principles–distrust and the consequent disobedience. Organizations can be that way and so can individuals. Note how this played out in Eden. God told Adam and Eve if they ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they would die (Genesis 2:17). But the devil said in ch. 3:4 just the opposite–you won’t die. Jesus was right on target when He stated later (John 8:44) that Satan was the father of lies. But when Eve began to distrust God, to trust the devil’s word more than God’s word, she then logically disobeyed God by eating of the forbidden fruit. She became a participant in Babylonian philososphy–distrust and disobedience, and the results were catastrophic. The devil himself distrust God in heaven, wanted to do his own thing, which led to his rebellion/disobedience and
being cast out of heaven (see Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:13-15; Revelation 12:7-10).

When God’s people in Old Testament Jerusalem distrusted God and disobeyed (see 2 Chronicles 36:11-20), thus taking part in Babylonian philosophy, they became literal captives in literal Babylon. In the end time entire churches, countries and organizations will distrust God (not trust His word or promises, or believe it’s important). This will lead to disobeying His commands and God will have to intervene finally just as He did in Genesis 11 at the tower of Babel. More about that another time.

The good news is that ultimately the coalition forces and philosophy of Babylon will be eradicated, God’s kingdom of grace/glory will be set up with its headquarters in the New Jerusalem. God will then reign over a kingdom of peace which shall never end and His people will rejoice in Him and be with Him throughout eternity. (see Revelation 21:1-4)

REVELATION AND EBOLA

“Ebola.” The very word seems to strike fear in our hearts. Perhaps the high fatality rate and sometimes gory effects make it seem worse than other diseases. It may lead some to wonder if this is one of the seven last plagues (Rev. 15:1) described in Revelation 16. While this could be a foretaste of things to come, I don’t believe it is one of the seven last plagues at this point and here’s why.

First, it doesn’t seem to fit the “loathsome sore” description. The 7 plagues are also part of an apparent sequence, and judging by the context, they happen just before Jesus comes in the clouds to take His people home. Chapter 14 talks about the fall of Babylon and final harvest of earth. Chapter 16:19 refers to Babylon’s fall again and then expands on it in chapter 18. I believe these events are still future. There will be real plagues that will be the most awful scourges known to man, but this is yet to come.

Another perspective on this situation is that more people die from the flu in the United States than have died in Africa from Ebola. In the flu pandemic of 1919, over 20 million people died worldwide (about 560,000 in the U.S.) compared to around 4-5000 from Ebola so far as of this writing. The bubonic plague, known as the “Black Death” in the 1300s destroyed 1/4 of the population of Europe. (see World Book Encyclopedia) I would suggest that the 7 last plagues may well be of a similar nature and scope.

Generally God mixes His judgments with mercy to encourage people to repent, but during the 4th and 5th plagues it says the people blasphemed God and did not repent. It would appear this is what Revelation 14:10-12 refers to as God’s wrath poured out “full strength”, i.e. not mixed with mercy. That would imply that Revelation 22:11, 12 is being fulfilled–all decisions have been made and now God’s judgments are now poured out. Fortunately for us, that hasn’t happened yet. We still have the opportunity to repent, forsake our sins, and receive God’s forgiveness and transforming love (His extreme makeover!).

Pergamos

PERGAMOS

As we take a look at the third church in the sequence of the 7, let’s review what Jesus is doing and why. Revelation 2:1 represents Him as walking among the 7 lamp stands with the implication that there is a burning lamp on each stand. It has already been established that the lamp stands represent the seven churches. Part of Jesus’ job is akin to that of the old lighthouse keeper–to see that the light keeps burning; in other words, a keeper of the flame. I remember the summer Olympics one year when the relay of the Olympic torch came through our town. There was great excitement and many people came out to see a runner carrying the torch, escorted by Highway Patrol vehicles. Then it was passed on to the next person to continue its journey. In similar manner the torch of truth and love was to be passed on from one generation to the next, from one era to another, until the work of the gospel should be completed and Jesus returns again.

Jesus is seeking to preserve His people and ultimately create a safe place for them to live and worship, where they can dwell together with Him for eternity. Compare Psalm 105:45 where God says He brought them out of Egypt so they could keep His commandments (Remember Pharaoh’s complaint that Moses was making the people rest [i.e. keep the Sabbath] so he made things harder for them. See Exodus 5:5). And if cleansing is necessary, He does that, too, much as the lighthouse keeper kept the lenses and windows of the lighthouse clean, so that His church may be the true light of the world, undimmed by human corrosive thinking. Think of Jesus cleansing the temple of the business commotion so those who wanted to worship in peace could do so. Thusly, as in Revelation 2:1 Jesus is represented as walking among the candlesticks to be sure all is well, and to correct any deficiencies that might interfere with His ultimate goal for them. He loves them too much to let them go to eternal destruction without seeking to save them from themselves.

Ultimately what Jesus is interested in is the salvation and character development of His followers, as well as the vindication of God, His character and purposes. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to accomplish this. For example, He testifies of Jesus (John 15:26), He reminds us of what Jesus taught (John 14:26), guides us into all truth, and reveals things to come (John 16:13). The whole subject of the Holy Spirit is a large one, but this must suffice for our purposes here for now.
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What does Jesus have to say to this congregation and, by extension, us? Is it still relevant for us 2000 years later, or is it just a bit of historical trivia suitable for “Jeopardy”?This message begins, as our original paradigm suggests, with a portrait of Christ, taken from the description in chapter one. The attribute selected for the particular needs of this church seems somewhat bizarre, something like a circus sword swallower. However, in that case the sword goes into the mouth whereas here it is coming out of the mouth. It also says it is two-edged and sharp. What can this mean? Often Jesus used symbolic language to represent Himself and His work, such as shepherd, vine, temple, light of the world, bread of life, eating His flesh/drinking His blood, etc. Allowing the Bible to interpret itself, the symbolism of a sword is also seen in Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Obviously we’re here talking about spiritual issues, not physical ones. The fact that the sword is pictured coming out of His mouth reinforces the idea of this referring to the words that would come from His mouth.

Interestingly, the apostle Paul uses the same symbolism in referring to the spiritual armor the Christian is to wear: “….the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17. As Jesus Himself proclaimed, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” John 6: 63. Two-edged? It can cut both ways, inwardly and outwardly; and it’s sharp enough to do its job quickly and effectively. It may be painful, but is for our good in the long run. You can read Hebrews 12 for more thoughts on God’s discipline. Apparently this congregation needed a good dose of this symbolic activity in real life. And Jesus cares too much about people and their salvation to be merely “politically correct.” So His words might sting a bit sometimes, but they uttered in love andare ultimately for our blessing in order for us to become the people He longs for us to become.

But before Jesus exposes the underlying problems of the church, He first looks for something to commend about it, and He finds a few things that are in fact commendable about Pergamos. ” I know your good works.” He has noticed the positive things they are doing and acknowledges them. There is more. “You live among Satan’s seat.” At first this sounds like a criticism, but it is actually letting them know He realizes the challenges they face in daily living. Some scholars believe this is referring to the heathen temple overlooking the city. It is no longer at the Pergamos site, but is now in a museum in Berlin where German archaeologists transported it many years ago. I have personally been there and walked up the stairway to the temple proper. As in many cities of the time, the local temple would have a strong (negative) influence in the community, as the apostle Paul found out on more than one occasion. There is yet one more praise. “You hold fast to God’s name and have not denied the faith.” That certainly sounds praiseworthy.

In view of these praises, the censure that follows certainly seems to counteract the them. But the church is not perfect, and the “faithful witness” must be honest–He can’t lie. He is anxious for the church to succeed, but first they must understand the truth about themselves. In Hebrews 12:6 it reminds us that “whom the Lord loves, He chastens.” So it is out of infinite love that He disciplines us. Perhaps in another sense it might be also seen as a sort of “vetting” process, as God can’t take rebels to heaven, for they would start the whole sin problem all over again. Think about this–would you be comfortable flying on a plane with known terrorists aboard? Ultimately, God’s desire is for His children to be with Him for eternity in a safe and peaceful location.

But what are the problems of this particular congregation? Why now the need for censure? He begins this section by stating, “You have some there who believe the doctrine of Balaam.” And what was wrong with that? “He taught King Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel–to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.” As if that weren’t enough, they also accepted “the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.” So what’s the issue here and who were Balak and the Nicolaitans? It appears that though Pergamos had some things going for it, it was also tolerant and accommodating to idolatry and sexual immorality amongst their membership and no one was doing anything about it. It would put out the light of this church if it continued as it was. And Jesus loves the church too much to leave these issues unaddressed.

The reference to Balaam takes us back into the Old Testament to Numbers 22. It seems that Israel was on the march toward the land God had promised them, but King Balak, who ruled a territory east of the Jordan River, was quite anxious and looked for a way to mess up their plans so he could defeat them. He had heard of a prophet in the region named Balaam and decided to enlist his support. He sent a delegation with an “honorarium” to help grease the request he was making, namely to come and curse the Israelites for him. You can read the whole story in Numbers 22, including the story of Balaam’s debate with a talking donkey. The bottom line was that God refused to allow Balaam to curse Israel–only to pronounce God’s blessings on them. But Revelation 2 gives us some additional insight into the story. Apparently Balaam was so eager to get Balak’s money he thought of a way to get Israel to bring a curse upon themselves without Balaam’s direct involvement. So the Israelites were invited to come to a great festival the Midianites were having where they would engage in worship of idols and prostitution. At first it seemed succssful as there was apostasy at the Jordan followed by God’s discipline of their behavior. Yet Balaam shortly thereafter lost his life in a battle with Israel (Numbers 31:8), so “what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) And the Nicolaitans? They were a more contemporary group that had an issue with the law of God, sort of forerunners of “antinomians,” those who were against law as being a valid guide for Christians, notwithstanding Jesus’ words “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) And Paul’s statement in Romans 7:7 that he would not even know what sin was if it wasn’t for the commandments. Apparently Jesus saw that Pergamos harbored these teachings and was deeply concerned for the church’s future.

Having said all that, was there hope for the church in Pergamos? Jesus always holds out hope, but first it must include repentance in order to be truly hopeful, otherwise Jesus’ words in John 12:48 will come true: “The word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” The good news is that as they receive His counsel, and through His grace overcome their deficiencies, they get “hidden manna”–the truth of the gospel; a white stone–perhaps the sign of acquittal in the judgment; and a new name–representing the new and loyal character they have developed by God’s grace. This is the special covenant promise for those overcomers.

So how do we apply all this? To begin with, the congregation in Pergamos would recognize itself in the description of its condition. Secondly, this congregation is also a symbol of the church in general during a period of history which historicist scholars date to approximately 313-538 A.D. More could be said about that but perhaps that is sufficient for now. And thirdly, what about us? We face some of the same challenges, such as worldliness/idolatry (anything that takes priority over God or substitutes for Him). But the same hope is also for us as we repent of our sins and allow Jesus to have full sway in our lives, so that like the apostle Paul we can say, “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I Iive, yet not I, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

REVELATION, CREATION, & EVOLUTION

Did God really make the earth and everything in it in six days as it states in Genesis 1? Or did God use evolutionary processes to do the job over millions of years as some suggest.
Others even go so far as to say that chapters 1-11 of Genesis are not literal–that section never actually happened as written. Is that true? It depends on whether you believe the Bible is accurate or not. This assumes that you even believe there is a God at all. This website takes the position that there is a God as the Bible describes Him. But what about those who believe in God but not as described in Genesis 1-11?
To me, the clearest statement of what happened is found in Exodus 20:8-11. Let me review it here, keeping in mind that this comes from the center of the 10 commandments, written on stone by God Himself. This is as direct as it gets. God didn’t even trust this document to dictation. “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, not thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor they cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” How could it be any plainer? While some declare that God did this in millions of years, God Himself said He did it in 6 days. Or is God a liar? The Bible says He isn’t (Titus 1:2). It is interesting to note that after Moses shattered the tables of stone when he saw the idolatry of Israel, God told him to bring some more stone and He would write the same words on stone again. (Ex. 34:1 and Dt. 10:1-5) So twice God wrote those same words on stone. It sounds like He indeed wanted these words to be remembered for posterity. If you can’t believe these words coming from God, why would you believe Him anywhere else in the Bible? It reminds me of Satan in the Garden of Eden when He got Eve to disbelieve the clearest command of God (Genesis 3:4, cf. 2:17). So, whom do you believe?
Some have suggested that each day in creation was in reality a long period of time, such as a thousand years, or even millions of years. But notice what the text says–the seventh day of the week was to commemorate the creation of earth in 6 days. And in Deuteronomy 23:32 it proclaims, “from even unto even shall ye celebrate your sabbath.” In other words, this was a 24 hour day. So if the seventh was a 24 hour period, then it stands to reason the other 6 days were the same length.
As I have read the Bible through over a dozen times, I have found the Scriptures reminding me over and over again that God is the Creator of all things, and quickly, designing all for our benefit. Notice Psalm 33:6, 9: “By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth…For He spake and it was done, He commanded, and it stood fast”. Nothing long and drawn out here.
This theme runs throughout Scripture. Even Jesus said, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female.” Mt. 19:4 See Genesis 1 and 2 for a more complete description of this event. Again, John 1:3: “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” See also Colossians 1:16: “…by Him all things were created….”. You get the idea.
But what does Revelation have to do with this idea? Does it have any indication that this will be an important issue in the last days? I believe so. Check out Revelation 14:7: “…Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of waters.” The implication is that it may be a controverted issue in the end time, so much so that God has to remind them not to worship anything else. We can see the problem developing today. Even some Christian churches are accepting the evolutionary concepts in place of the clear Biblical teaching of creation. Once more in Revelation 4:11, 24 elders worship God and say,” You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For you created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created”. So do we have a bunch of liars in heaven, or truth tellers?
For one thing, the Bible says liars don’t make it to heaven (Rev. 21:8, 27). So that just leaves truth tellers.
The Bible says God is love. Out of that love He created this earth and the Garden of Eden for mankind. He wishes simply for us to acknowledge that and appreciate what it means to have a loving relationship with Him. He even created a day in time (the Sabbath) to give us opportunity to reflect and rejoice.
Where do you stand? Think about it.