Wrath or Mercy? Pick One... Revelation Lesson 7

"Heaven must be really boring if it's full of white-robed people playing harps," someone had remarked very early on in our study. This imagery, while it was meaningful to the original readers of Revelation, has little to endear itself to us today; given its dull, sedated atmosphere where people walk around in nightclothes. In fact, it sounds very much like a scene out of a mental asylum, if you catch my drift.


Is it any wonder why we associate heaven as a place for the aged, weak and those on the "vintaged"- side of the hill, where there is nothing to do except move r-e-a-l-l-y slowly on the clouds while strumming harp-strings to the tempo of a dirge?

Before we make up our minds, let's see what Revelation has to say about this matter.

Observations
Chapter 14


This chapter opens a new series of visions, with the word Then at the beginning of the passage. John sees Jesus standing on Mount Zion, the mountain of deliverance. With him are the 144,000 whose foreheads are sealed with his (Jesus') and the Father's names. Compare this with Ezekiel 9 . A lot of different interpretations surround the 144,000, to the extent that movies and sects have been propagated in its honour. But who are these people?



One interpretation suggests the 144,000 as the community of faith throughout the ages, that is, represented by 12 x 12 x 10 x 10 x 10. These are the 12 tribes of Israel (representing the faithful in the Old Testament), the 12 apostles of Jesus (the faithful in the New Testament), and all the faithful people who will ensue until the end of the age.

This group of people will have the mark of the Lamb on their foreheads.


It is very clear that everyone who lives on this earth will have a mark, either that of the Lamb's, or that of the beast. If you have the mark of the Lamb, you will incur the wrath of the beast, but escape the wrath of God. Conversely, if you have the mark of the beast, you may not be under the wrath of the beast, but you WILL face the wrath of God. There is no middle ground. No exceptions. You will face one wrath, or the other.



This symbolic 144,000 sang a new song to the Lamb in heaven, accompanied by an angel whose sound was like many waters (all-pervasive, imagine the sound of a thundering waterfall) and harpists (sounds of joy) at the same time. Then, we are further told the 144,000 are those redeemed from the earth, and had not defiled themselves with "intercourse with the world's systems". They lived up to what is implied as their betrothal to Christ. They are covenantly faithful and true disciples. They are not sinless but instead blameless, having repentant hearts and an orientation towards God.



John sees another angel flying in midheaven, proclaiming the gospel. The responsibility of those who had heard the gospel was to "fear God and give Him glory..." Just as He has created everything in the beginning of time (Gen 1), God will judge each one at the closing of time.



Another angel then told of the impending downfall of Babylon (pagan kingdoms). Babylon, at the time of the writing of Revelation, had lapsed into a heap of ruins. Isaiah 21:9, Jeremiah 51:7. However the term "Babylon" had become symbolic for Rome and any other culture or city that arrogantly stands above God. Could this be the great New York City, Tokyo or even Kuala Lumpur, which "has been built by man's hands"? All kingdoms that exalt themselves above Christ will fall.



The third angel cries out the the judgement for those who has the mark of the beast - they will incur the wrath of God unmixed, or full strength. What this means is that, up to time of writing, the judgements of God on Israel, ie, captivity and exile, attack by Babylonians and Assyrians, the terrible siege of Jerusalem, etc, had been "dilute". The "full strength" of God's wrath is reserved for those termed here, with the mark of the beast (please refer to previous post for the explanation on the Mark of the Beast).



Jesus gave vivid descriptions of hell, ie, fire is not quenched, worms don't die, gnashing of teeth, etc. And it is ETERNAL.



The text continues to two harvests. Now, a harvest is the climax in the agricultural term of the ancient Jew. Everything builds up to the harvest. The Bible speaks of two kinds of harvests.

Harvest 1


One like the Son of Man is shown to, with one swipe of the sickle, reap the harvest on earth. This is the judgement experienced by the inhabitants of the world.


Harvest 2


In this horrific imagery, another angel swings the sickle to harvest the grapes. This harvest shows the thoroughness of God's wrath. In olden days, grapes are thrown into a winepress where they are trampled until their juices break forth and flow into the holes at the bottom of the winepress, channeled to a vat below. Here, the grapes are the people against God and Christ, thrown into a winepress and trampled till their blood flowed down to the vat, enough to fill an area 200 miles long up to the height of a horse's bridle. References to the final judgement can also be found in Jeremiah 51:23, Rev 19:15, Hosea 6:11, Matthew 13:39, Isaiah 63, Joel 3:13.

Remember, everyone has a mark, either the mark of the Lamb, or the mark of the beast.

So what now?

Concluding thoughts


1. Do not read texts on judgement with smugness and arrogance. It is with tears of grace and mercy that we give thanks for our salvation.



2. GIVE UP YOUR SMALL AMBITIONS! Know what is really important at the end of the grand scheme of what we call life and time. Your life, career, money, family, friends... what value would they take against the backdrop of the eternal judgement of God?



3. Only as we see the alternatives for what they really are, can we realise what we are saved from - the terrible wrath of God - by the sacrifice of His Son. And only through it, can we see the glories to come in the Lamb.









And yes, the sounds of joy in heaven may not sound that "boring" after all...




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Surviving the Beasts (II), Revelation Lesson 6

"Golly", a friend remarked, "what if, just what if, by some stroke of ignorance, christians end up being deceived and unwittingly receive the mark of the beast?? Will they then go to damnation?"

A noteworthy question. Let's look at what Scriptures say.

After having looked at the antichrists that culminate to the ultimate Antichrist in the previous post, we now turn to the second beast mentioned in Chapter 13. This is the beast from the earth, commonly known as the False Prophet. The Antichrist and False Prophet are cohorts of the dragon (Satan) in his last ditch attempt to inflict the earth before being cast into eternal destruction.

Observations
Chapter 13: 11 - 18




Notice that this beast (False Prophet) has the demeanour like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. Its outward appearance of harmlessness will lead many astray. Jesus spoke of wolves in sheep's clothing (Matt 7:15), and these false prophets are discerned through their fruits - which means not just their deeds but also their doctrines. A person speaking in the name of God is to be tested by the doctrines of Scripture.

This False Prophet exercises all the authority of the Antichrist, and makes others worship the Antichrist. It has the ability to perform great signs and wonders and poses a direct counterfeit to God's power, deceiving a great many people into believing the Antichrist.

Thought


Can you sanction every miracle as from God, just because it is done "in Jesus' name?" Consider Matt 7:22 - 23, when Jesus said: "not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"



The False Prophet will cause a global allegiance and worship of the Antichrist, and of course, not even one person is able to buy and sell without the infamous mark of the beast, termed here as also the number of a person, 666.

Now.


Obviously this would have made sense to the original reader. But for us modernists, this had posed to be an enigma for centuries. Various interpretations of 666 had surfaced since. Some say that 666 is merely the falling short of the perfect number 777. Some say it is Nero, Caesar, Napoleon, Martin Luther, Hitler, etc etc.

The basis for the latter is based on a play of the numerical-based Hebrew alphabet that was used in ancient times, called the gematria. Because every letter of the alphabet was tied with a numeral, names of individuals from Nero to Henry Kissinger had been associated with 666! Safe to say, Michelle MY Chan, depending on whichever variant one likes, ie, MC Chan, MY Chan or just Ms. Michelle C; if the letters are manipulated long enough, may even amount to 666!

So what am I saying?


Nobody knows. Even scholars are baffled over the mark of the beast.

However, we must reject any attempt to turn a symbolic piece of apocalyptic imagery into a literal translation of an event utterly remote from the intent of the writer John and his contemporaries. If in Chapter 14 John refers to the mark of the Lamb as those redeemed by Christ, are we to expect a literal mark on the foreheads of the people in the shape of a lamb? Of course not. That refers to those faithful in Christ. Their redemption is received by faith and sealed by the Holy Spirit. Similarly, the mark of the beast surely refers to unbelief, rejection of Christ and his gospel. (excerpt from The Lamb and The Lion by Grame Goldsworthy).


So, let us not be distracted by workings of financial intricacies, the implementation of a global fiscal system that will entrap Christians, ie, bar code systems, cashless society, etc. Of course we are to be vigilant, but the irrational fear of "accidentally procuring the mark of the beast without realising it" does not gel with New Testament epistles. "It is sad that many Christians are being led to think of their eternal security as depending not on the finished work of Christ for them, but upon the prophetic astuteness in discerning the supposed relationship of the beast to the development of a new global fiscal system. " (Goldsworthy)


Having said that, here are some characteristics of the false prophet:

1. The power of Satan expresses itself in false prophets in concrete historical deception


2. The false prophet serves antichrist who serves satan

3. False prophet is full of deceptive power

4. False prophet commands conformity



May we live in the Spirit, being enabled by Him to endure and persevere during these times where deception intensifies.





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Surviving the Beasts, Revelation Lesson 5

"Revelation is a book for scholars," someone in the study group remarked. While I don't think the book was solely intended to be deciphered by professors (the original readers understood it well); there is some mind-maneuveuring involved when modern-day readers want to understand it.


Remember Revelation is apocalyptic, which means lots of metaphors, and some parts of the book is sometimes interpreted by another chapter in the same book. This is what happens in Chapter 13. It is mirrored by Chapter 17, and should be read together to obtain a bigger picture of the idea.


Observations
Chapters 13 & 17



Chapter 13 outlines the appearance of two beasts that do the bidding of the dragon (Satan).
Beast #1 is likened to be the antichrist(s) who will directly oppose God's people. Beast #2 is the false prophet that expresses itself in deception of all peoples.


Together with the dragon, they form the unholy trinity, a counterfeit of God's identity and character. This trio of evil parodies God (using the descriptions of the beast being "was, and is not, and is about..." 17:8, 11). They unleash themselves with great fury at the peoples of the earth because their time is short (12:12)


Let's look at the Beast #1:

1. Commonly known as the Antichrist; or a succession of antichrists culminating to the ultimate Antichrist (1 John 1:18).

2. The power of satan which is in constant historical opposition to God's people.


3. The power of evil, after which it have seemingly "died / vanquished", returns with renewed vigour to oppose the power of God! How this is arrived at is too long for this lesson, but a quick glance at 13:2 describes the beast as a patchwork of a bear, a lion and a leopard, which in Daniel 7 alludes to the kingdoms of Medo-Persia, Babylon and Greece respectively. The dragon gave its power to these kingdoms. In v3, this one of the heads of this patchwork beast was mortally wounded and then healed. Now, heads usually refers to kingdoms. Therefore,we can read it like... "the dragon gave its power to the kingdom of Babylon (to work out its schemes), then the kingdom lapsed. Then it was resurrected in the form of the kingdom of Medo-Persia, and the dragon gave it its power, then it lapsed... etc etc"

Do you see the picture?


Everytime the beast seems to have been defeated, it comes back with renewed vigour! This is like a bad chainsaw-gore movie that is endless!

In amazement (desperation?) the people accepts this kind of evil, and even follows it! (13:4)


4. This Antichrist demands our allegiance. It was allowed to make war on the saints and conquer them.




What kind of forces are opposing Christ and demanding your allegiance? Maybe we are not called to die as martyrs in our country (as many are called even in countries nearby). But we are all called to die to ourselves and follow Christ.




What has been demanding your time and allegiance lately? More money to pay off the mortgage and debts that your chosen lifetyle is weighing on? To embark on a christian cause? While these are legitimate reasons, let them not supercede our devotion to God, giving Him only our time, our belongings, and ourselves.


Understand that all the accumulation of wealth (consumerism, materialism and capitalism), philosophies and ideologies (communism, socialism, existentialism, pluralism) have the function of false religion, making us think apart from God. Anything that diverts our devotion towards God is a competitor, regardless of how noble, glorious and good it sounds.



What then, should a follower of Jesus do? The answer is in verse 10. if you are to be taken captive, in captivity you will go; if you kill with the sword, with the sword you must be killed. Here is a call to the endurance and faith of the saints.



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How to Beat the Dragon, Revelation Lesson 4

Okay, okay... I borrowed the above title from an excellent expository preaching session from Dr. Don Carson, whom in my estimation, is incisive, thorough and straight to the point. Right, let's look at the world and the church from God's perspective.

Chapter 12
Observation


Science fiction! Fantasy! You could be forgiven for wondering if the writer of Revelation had dunked himself in one anime episode too many. I mean, Woman clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet and crown of 12 stars? Either this guy is high in imagination or on LSD. However, since all Scripture is God-inspired (2 Tim 3:16), LSD is out. Which leaves the option of God-inspired Scripture via means of imagination, in a manner that is readily understood by the original reader.

Hmmmm...

The identity of the woman is revealed in v 17. She is the true church, a group of believers in the Old Testament (OT) and New Testament (NT) who have the characteristic of those in v 11 (those who overcome by the Blood of the Lamb, word of testimony and not clinging to their lives unto death).


Lets get back to the text. The woman is in birth pangs. She is about to give birth to a male child who will rule the world. Messiah will come from the community of faith, in OT it was Israel, in NT it is the church. A great red (murderous) dragon waits for the child to be born in order to devour the baby. The dragon is also the Devil, Satan, the accuser of the brethen (v9). The child was born and taken to God (in one sentence describes Jesus' birth, ministry and ascension). The woman then is pursued by the dragon and fled to the wilderness (symbolic for testing and trial time, according to Jewish customs). There the woman is nourished for 1,260 days.

Now.


1,260 days = 42 months = 3 and a half years = a time, and times, and half a time. They are all different expressions of the same thing.


In order to understand what this means to the original reader, let's go back in Jewish history. In 323 BC, Alexander the Great conquered most of the known world, from his hometown Macedonia till India. He died without an heir, and his vast empire was divided between his 4 generals. You can find an allusion to this in Dan 8:21-22. The divided kingdoms were Egypt, Syria, Greece and Thrace. Now, Israel was right in between Egypt (Ptolemic) and Syria (Seleuccid). Israel became a hotly-contested region between these two kingdoms. Finally the Seleuccids from the north managed to wrest control of Israel, and under its emperor, vanquished all forms of Jewish worship. It was a capital offence to observe the Sabbath, to worship at the temple and Jewish priests were killed, pigs' blood poured on the altars to desecrate it. It was a dark period in Jewish history.


In about 164 BC, an emissary of the Seleuccidian emperor was sent to kill the Jewish priest Mattahias, but Mattahias killed him instead. Thus, a revolution began against the Seleuccid oppressors under Mattahias' eldest son Judas. The revolution was called the War of the Maccabees. Judas "hammered" the Seleuccids for 3-and-a-half years, and finally he won. The temple in Jerusalem was again dedicated. The Jews, for the first time in 400 - 500 years, began to worship God in their own land again.


Conclusion #1

Now.


If you tell a Jewish audience "three-and-a-half years" during the time Revelation was written (1st century), they instinctively refer to the time when their there was a great struggle, the war of Macabees, before victory was gained. Does it mean the persecution period was literally 3-and-a-half years? No. That period of suffering lasted almost half a millenia! Thus, the phrase 3-and-a-half years is symbolic for a period of immense suffering and catastrophic struggle, before finally, there is victory in sight.


Conclusion #2


The dragon with great fury tirelessly pursued the woman. On 3 occasions it was mentioned that he attempted to destroy her, but each time God rescued her and took her to the wilderness (desert - time of testing) where she was nurtured for ahem... a time, times and half a time.

Question:
From God's word, the church seemed to be always in a position where she is persecuted by the dragon. How does this compare with the state of our churches today, in our homes or anywhere in the world? Does this characterise our lives in any way?


Conclusion #3

This passage gives us a clear way to overcome the dragon.


a) Blood of the Lamb. It is not by our might nor power nor ability... but ONLY by the blood of the Lamb. We have done / could do nothing to save ourselves.

b) Word of the saints' testimony. This is bearing witness to Christ and the truth through word, deed and thought.


c) They did not cling to their lives even unto death. The true saints denied themselves and carried their crosses daily.






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The Trumpets Sound, Revelation Lesson 3

Anyone who has been praying will attest to a time where they have wondered if their prayers really mattered. When will true justice and goodness be restored? It seems the more we pray, the worse things become. Sometimes we feel our prayers bouncing off the walls and ceiling, and often, we wonder if they'd even gotten airborne in the first place!


Revelation Chapter 8 gave the persecuted churches (and us!) some perspective.


Observation


This is the chapter that opens up the cycle of the trumpets. Please remember that the 7 trumpets is the same story as the 7 seals, told from a different perspective. Seven in all, the trumpets talk about the judgement befalling the earth. After the 7th Seal was opened, there was silence in heaven for about half and hour (symbolism for "a short time"). Then another angel appeared with a golden censer and stood at the altar. There was incense and prayers on the golden altar before the Throne of God. The incense, prayers and fire from God were thrown down on earth, resulting in thunders, lightning, etc.


Food for thought


The prayers of saints play a very important role in the judgement of God. What is the real masterpower behind our world, what are the deeper secrets of our destinies? The prayers of the saints and the fire of God. More powerful than any dark forces and mighty powers in the world, is the power of prayer set ablaze by the fire of God and cast upon the earth. (Torrance)


Chapters 8-11
Further Observation

Trumpet 1 - 1/3 of earth burnt up
Trumpet 2 - 1/3 of sea became blood
Trumpet 3 - 1/3 of of water became bitter wormwood
Trumpet 4 - 1/3 of light darkened

Trumpet 5 - Locusts torture men without God's seal
Trumpet 6 - 1/3 mankind killed by plagues; people don't repent

Interlude - witnessing church is persecuted and vindicated

Trumpet 7 - Mystery fulfilled, Kingdom come



We see that Trumpets 1-4 mirror the plagues of Egypt (Ex 7), which grew in intensity after each time Pharoah refused to relent to God. When Trumpet 5 sounded, the judgement grew more serious. From natural calamities, it has grown to spiritual oppression. Locusts (noted as demons here by some scholars) were released to torture those "who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads" (v 4). They were only allowed to torture humans for a symbolic "5 months" though, which is the length of the locusts' lifespan. During Trumpet 6, a third of mankind (not the majority, but a significant number) was killed. Despite this, the others still would not repent and turn to God.

The interlude talks about The Two Witnesses (the church by some scholars) who were witnessing and facing great persecution at this point. Many miracles were displayed and the Two Witnesses even got silenced and killed, before they were resurrected and went up to heaven in full view of their enemies. The people were terrified and gave glory to God

At the 7th Trumpet, we are back in heaven. The mystery of God is fulfilled (10:7) and God's Kingdom has come.


Food for thought!



Well, there is just too much in this cycle! Basically it is a landscape of judgements, beginning from the the "mildest" to the most severe, culminating in the arrival of the Kingdom. This is told from the perspective of the inhabitants of the earth. If you notice carefully, Chapter 11:9 has actually finished the entire story of Revelation, although not its details (which will be explored in subsequent chapters).

I want to bring your attention to a particular reference "but in the days when the seventh angel blows his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, as He announced to his servants and prophets." (10:7). Compare this "mystery" with Ephesians Chapter 3 - the Gentiles sharing the promise of Christ through the gospel.

Question:
Is the mystery fulfilled? Or is it awaiting a future fulfillment?


One comment that popped up was "I am sure God will protect those whom He has sealed (9:4) from the oppression of the locusts". Well, if the New Testament is anything to go by, God will surely protect His own in and not necessarily from the days of evil. If He has purposed that we live in such times, so must we. And so we must be found faithful to the end, no matter what kind of evil may / have already arrived. Was this not how the apostles and saints of old endured and overcame? Was this not how our Lord and Master triumphed? Let us then, not be afraid of pain, suffering and the hardship that comes when we remain faithful and obedient to Christ.




Recommended Reading: The Heavenly Man, story of Brother Yun, co-written by Paul Hattaway





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