Tag: revelation

Christ and Culture (Revelation 2:12-17)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
The Altar of Pergamum is considered one of the greatest surviving monuments from antiquity, now located in the Pergamum Museum, Berlin, Germany

“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.

Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. (New International Version)

I’ve lived in one or two places in my life that I might have secretly described as the city where Satan lives. Jesus, however, in words to an ancient church, put it out there that they were living in such a place.

We aren’t told why Jesus described the city of Pergamum that way. Many ancient and important places typically had a prominent temple to some Greek god or goddess. In Pergamum, there existed a temple to Asclepius, the god of healing, symbolized by a snake – which isn’t exactly a positive icon in the worship of God.

The bad names didn’t stop there. Balaam is mentioned. He was a foreigner to Israel who is associated with false prophecy and leading worshipers of God astray. Balaam was blamed for the people’s idolatry and immorality before entering the Promised Land. (Numbers 31:16)

“Probably the greatest tragedy of the church throughout its long and checkered history has been its constant tendency to conform to the prevailing culture instead of developing a Christian counter-culture.”

John R.W. Stott

The name “Nicolaitans” is likely a Greek form of saying “Balaamites.” Thus, they are one in the same thing. It seems that Jesus was pointing a finger directly at particular religious practices consistent with the tradition of Balaam, namely, eating food sacrificed to idols and committing sexual immorality.

Idols and temples and eating were a hot button issue in the earliest church. All the places that churches were established, there were a significant number of Gentile converts from Greek religion to following Christ and worshiping God. And it was anything but a nice easy clean break from the old to the new.

I would surmise that the Balaamites and Nicolaitans are a group of Christian converts from paganism who were embracing a more syncretistic religion, and urging others to do the same – to maintain and engraft some of the Roman values and Greek religious practices so that the church would become more socially accepted and economically viable. Perhaps, they may have reasoned, there would be less persecution and things would generally go better for everyone.

“Some Christians want enough of Christ to be identified with him but not enough to be seriously inconvenienced.”

D.A. Carson

Whereas the Apostle Paul had a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between the church and the culture, the communication to the church at Pergamum was a definitive statement that Nicolaitans are immoral idolaters and the only thing to do in such a case is for them (not the entire congregation as a whole) to repent, stop the syncretism, and start devoting themselves completely to the worship of God alone.

Jesus himself was advocating for a firm refusal in trying to achieve respectability, to make compromises in religious practice. It certainly appears that, at least in the case of Pergamum’s converts, there was to be absolutely no connection with the old religion – not even with eating any meat or anything else that came from the pagan temple.

The Greek god Asclepius was connected with medicine and healing. So, why would this be such a problem for the fledgling church? Why would the city of Pergamum be labeled as the place where Satan lives?

Pergamum was a prominent city. It’s Greek culture, cultural and social traditions, and religious center represented the pinnacle of pagan society. This perhaps explains in part why early Christians viewed the place as a bastion of the devil.

Antipas, the Christian Bishop of Pergamum, is said to have been martyred there at the end of the first century, C.E. – which is around the time when many scholars believe the Book of Revelation was composed.

Whatever was actually going on at the time, there were most certainly significant tensions between the Christian and pagan communities which existed in the ancient city of Pergamum. Avoiding persecution, even death, may have been foremost in the minds of the Nicolaitans – who wanted accommodations with paganism that went too far, even for Jesus.

“Christ claims no man purely as a natural being, but always as one who has become human in a culture; who is not only in culture, but into whom culture has penetrated.”

H. Richard Niebuhr

It’s always been a difficult thing for Christians of every historical age to know how to deal with being in a society that is of a different culture and religion. And every generation of believers need to struggle through and reaffirm what Christian faith looks like wherever they live in this world, and in whatever cultural context they find themselves within.

In the letter to the church at ancient Pergamum, we perhaps find some guidance in Christ’s affirmation of holding onto Christian faith and keeping up a public profession of fidelity to him; and in Christ’s denunciation of diluting that Christian faith with too much accommodation to pagan culture.

Not every believer is going to agree in how to practically proceed with such matters. Yet these are issues worth having constructive conversations about, rather than simply digging into an established personal trench and, from there, lobbing unhelpful volleys of words at those who disagree.

Almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, you are a jealous God who will not accept any attachment to other gods. I affirm you as the Most High God, and you will not give your honor or acclaim to idols. Please help us your people to avoid putting anything or anybody above or below you. Amen.

A Vision of the End (Revelation 14:1-11)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
The Great Day of His Wrath, by John Martin, 1852

Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as first-fruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”

A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” (New International Version)

Throughout the book of Revelation (The Apocalypse of John) the Apostle John communicates visions of the end, of God’s wrath and human suffering. Yet John also pauses throughout his vision to offer encouragement for the faithful followers of Jesus in the present time who are undergoing suffering, even persecution.

The assurance believers have is that God sees their struggle, their devotion; the Lord will protect them – not from suffering and death – but from the effects of divine judgment and punishment on the earth. The Lord will not abandon the believers. Instead, they will share in God’s new realm.

The Lamb and the Redeemed

The ultimate destiny of Christ’s faithful followers is not in judgment but in triumph – even though many of them had to face extreme circumstances and died the martyr’s death. Christ, the Lamb of God, stands in the center of God’s kingdom with the 144,000, who sing a new song to God.

It could be that these 144,000 persons are representative and symbolic of all redeemed humanity. Or, they may likely be Christian martyrs, the ones who were the victims of evil (Revelation 13). Whoever they actually are, their description is figurative in order to convey that these faithful persons are morally and spiritually pure; they did not defile themselves with the wickedness of the world’s systemic and structural evil.

These redeemed persons are the first fruits, believers who have sacrificed their lives for God and maintained their witness to King Jesus, and not to Ceasar as Lord. In the Old Testament, every firstborn (both human and animal) belonged to the Lord. The first fruits (the initial yield of crops) were set aside specifically as a sacrificial offering to God.

In the New Testament, the concept and practice of first fruits is used as a metaphor for something given to God in advance. So, in the book of Revelation, this refers to the harvest at the end of the age; the first fruits are the 144,000, the ones who are the anticipation of Christian resurrection. In other words, there are many more converts to come – people redeemed by the Lamb and set aside for resurrection and new creation. A great harvest of souls comes; because of Christ’s resurrection, his followers shall also experience resurrection.

The Message of the Three Angels

The Apostle John spoke of three angels, each of whom proclaim a coming judgment of God. The first angel has a call to repentance and a warning of imminent judgment. The second angel announces the fall of Babylon (Rome). And the third angel pronounces judgment upon those who gave themselves to the powers of this fallen world, who participated in organizational wickedness through oppression, abuse, neglect, disrespect, and dishonor of others.

It is with the third angel that the “mark of the beast” upon a person’s forehead is the mark of judgment on them. Although the language and picture of this, and what happens to them, was (and still is for some) used to scare the hell out of people so that they would embrace heaven, we must very much distance ourselves from such disgraceful rhetoric.

Again, the vision is full of symbolism and is not to be taken literally; it is John’s attempt to convey an otherworldly experience he had, in terms which his readers could grasp. The big idea is that those who have become devoted members to the machinations of evil in its various forms on this earth will experience the judgment of God.

As they sought glory in this world by any means possible – including using people to keep and hold power – so, they will face an inglorious end when God holds them accountable for their wrongdoing and for letting their own hearts become shriveled and dry.

This is neither the time to participate in evil, nor to procrastinate in making things right – while you still have time to do so.

For those holding on to bitterness, it is time to forgive.

For the ones giving in to their anger through hating others, it is now time to humble yourself, repent, and turn to right and healthy ways of dealing with that anger.

For the persons allowing themselves to be used by others for perpetuating evil in their workplace, neighborhood, or church, it is high time to find your voice, renounce the damaging practices, and speak truth to power.

We all must suffer. What it is we suffer for, is up to us.

Almighty and everlasting God, the rightful Judge of all things and all people, help us, your people, to be rightly prepared for Christ’s coming, through a right confession and right practices in this life. Enable us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling so that we might cast the bright beams which radiate from the approaching day of glory into those dark days and nights of suffering.

Sovereign God, draw us, we pray, near to Christ and in union with him. May we taste and see the goodness of the Lord; be strengthened in faith for the trials and tribulations which lie before us; bask in the love of Jesus; and hold fast to divine promises, and our confession, especially since the end of all things is at hand. Amen.

The Second Woe Upon the Earth (Revelation 9:13-21)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.

The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this: Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury.

The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts. (New International Version)

In an apocalyptic vision of God’s judgment at the end of time, the Apostle John saw seven angels with seven trumpets. Each blast of the horn brought ever increasing levels of destruction upon the earth. The final three trumpets are also described as the three woes. (Revelation 8:2-6, 13)

The Sixth Trumpet (Second Woe)

The sixth angel sounded the sixth trumpet, which was also the second woe pronounced on the world. Four angels are released from their place of restraint. Whereas the invasion of locusts in the fifth trumpet (first woe) came from the pit of hell, the next invasion comes from the east, from the outskirts, that is, outside the Roman Empire.

The terrible angels go out to kill a third of all humanity. They lead a massive destructive force that overwhelms the earth. The incredible army looks something like centaurs, being horse and rider in one. And out of their mouths come fire, smoke, and sulfur. These are three plagues which brings death to a third of humanity.

The Response to the Second Woe’s Invasion

John records the human response to the divine judgment unleashed upon humanity with the four angels and their three plagues. In reality, it’s actually a lack of response; there is no change of heart and no repentant attitude from anyone. The awful devastation does nothing to elicit any sort of self-reflection, public awareness of sin, or reconsideration of ways by those left alive.

The Apostle records that the rest of the people, after going through such a traumatic time, keep up their worship of demons and their idolatry. They continue to murder, carouse, and steal, as if nothing had happened.

What’s more, John’s graphic and disturbing vision – from it’s very beginning – does not record a single person turning away from their evil ways. The surviving inhabitants of the earth act like old Pharaoh in Egypt during the days of Moses and the exodus; their hearts are hard, and they are not about to change.

What It Means For Us

A big question for us as contemporary people, two-thousand years removed from John’s apocalyptic vision is this: Do the judgments contained in the book of Revelation have any relevance for us today?

Some might dismiss all of this as weird historical story that nobody can really understand, so we might just as well put it aside as belonging in the past. Others grew up hearing “fire and brimstone” sermons from Revelation that did nothing for them other than help them decided that they never want to be in a church again and listen to a sinner about how sinful everybody is.

Although I do not condone hellfire preaching that does little more than make people feel bad, I do believe these difficult judgment chapters in the book of Revelation have something to say to us which we would do well to hear.

  • If we dig in and want what we want, without considering anyone else or even God, then we really cannot expect blessing either in this life or the life to come.
  • If and when disaster or destruction happens – and afterwards go on our merry way as if nothing even occurred – then we have come under divine judgment.
  • If we purposely stick our heads in the sand, and intentionally avoid what is happening around us in this world, then it will not go well for us in the end.
  • If we become angry, and nurse the grudge to the point of becoming hateful and unloving, then the hardness of heart will not recognize God’s visitation when it comes.
  • If we hurt and harm others without any remorse, or make excuses for bad behavior when called out on it, then we are no better than the unrepentant mass of humanity in the book of Revelation.

There is coming a time when it will be too late. The Day of the Lord will come. There will be a final judgment. But if you are reading this, there is obviously still time. Spiritual procrastination only leads to destruction. Spiritual attention to the here-and-now leads to life. What will you do “Today?”

Our Father who is in heaven,

uphold the holiness of your name.

Bring in your kingdom

so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven.

Give us the bread we need for today.

Forgive us for the ways we have wronged you,

just as we also forgive those who have wronged us.

And don’t lead us into temptation,

but rescue us from the evil one. Amen.

The Trumpets of Judgment (Revelation 8:6-9:12)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
The seven angels with seven trumpets, and the angel with a censer, c. 1020 C. E.

Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them.

The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.

The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water—the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.

The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. 

They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.

The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).

The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come. (New International Version)

Angels receiving seven trumpets, c. 1255 C.E.

Woah; this isn’t exactly some light bedtime reading. It has to do with the end of all things, with God’s judgment upon the earth. Seven angels with seven trumpets are about to sound them with disastrous results. The last three trumpets are also referred to as the three woes upon the earth.

The first four trumpets are bad, yet not nearly as terrible as the last three. The first four affect the natural world and one-third of the earth; whereas the last three directly impact the earth’s inhabitants and affect the entire world.

As hard as it may be to accept biblical readings like today’s, God is not only the author of abundant flourishing, but also of devastating destruction. And it’s in direct answer to the prayers of the saints. (Revelation 8:3)

The First Trumpet: Hail, Fire, and Blood

Although hail and blood remind the biblical student of the plagues of judgment in ancient Egypt before the great exodus of Israelites, it’s the fire that does damage to the trees and grass of the earth. A third of the earth’s land resources are completely burned up.

The Second Trumpet: Mountains and Seas

The second angel blowing the second trumpet results in a great mountain being hurled into the sea. This is reminiscent, for those familiar with the Gospels, of Jesus stating that one with a small amount of faith can command a mountain to be thrown into the sea, and it will be done. (Mark 11:23)

Going back into the Old Testament, in the giving of the Law on the mountain, and with the disobedience of the people at the foot of the mountain, Mount Sinai was ablaze with fire and the glory of God. The New Testament scene in Revelation appears to be something of a Mount Sinai taken up and thrown into the sea – signifying that the grace of Christ has supplanted the curse of the law.

As a result of the second trumpet, a third of all the great oceans are destroyed.

The Third Trumpet: A Star from the Sky

Although C.S. Lewis gave the name “Wormwood” to a fictional agent of Satan, the Wormwood here is a messenger of God, a star that falls from the sky as a result of the third trumpet blown. A third of all the earth’s drinkable water becomes bitter because of the star – which seems to be a link to previous times of judgment from God:

“I will make them eat bitter food
    and drink poisoned water,
because from the prophets of Jerusalem
    ungodliness has spread throughout the land.” (Jeremiah 23:15, NIV)

“They have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water. (Jeremiah 9:14-15, NIV)

The Fourth Trumpet: Sun, Moon, and Stars

There’s nothing that falls from the sky with the blast of the fourth trumpet. Yet a third of the sun, moon, and stars are dimmed. This is a portent that something worse is about to happen – which is what the “eagle” [vulture] announces against the earth’s inhabitants.

The Fifth Trumpet (The First Woe): The Abyss Is Opened

Another star falls to the earth, but with even more disaster than the previous star – opening a pit in the heart of the earth. Smoke comes billowing out, darkening the sun. Then, locusts with the stinging power of scorpions, come upon the land.

Rather than humans having authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, these demonic insects carry the ability and the authority to harm humanity – much like the great locust horde of judgment during the time of the prophet Joel (Joel 2:1-11). The difference with John’s Apocalypse is that these are a demonic host with Apollyon the Destroyer leading them.

The previous judgments were from above; this first woe is from below – connecting the powers of death, destruction, and the grave together with the force of evil. It’s a time of sheer torture; a traumatic five months of horrendous agony.

Conclusion

None of these terrible scenes of judgment are meant to scare the hell out of anybody and put the fear of heaven into them. Instead, the New Testament book of Revelation (also known as the Apocalypse of John) is meant for devoted believers in Jesus to be encouraged that an end is coming. They can persevere in following Jesus because it will be worth it.

The hardships, difficulties, and persecutions experienced – for following the words and ways of Jesus – will not last; a time is coming soon when God will judge the living and the dead. Evil will be dealt its final blow. And we will enter a realm of unending peace with the God for whom we have given our all.

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29; Deuteronomy 4:24)

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
    The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May he send you help from the sanctuary
    and give you support from Zion.
May he remember all your offerings
    and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. Selah

May he grant you your heart’s desire
    and fulfill all your plans. Amen. (Psalm 20:1-4)