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Why would Christians think that Socialists would be their allies? Is Christian Socialism supposed to be a Christian movement with a bit of ‘fair and just society’ thrown in? Or is it half-Christian and half-Socialist?
To (once again) demonstrate that you can be a Christian or a Socialist, but not both, what follows are excerpts from Friedrich Engels’s thoughts on the New Testament — ‘On the History of Early Christianity‘ (1894-1895).
One of Engels’s biographers, Tristram Hunt, describes his subject’s view of God as:
In that sense the latent rationality of Christianity comes to permeate the everyday experience of the modern world— its values are now variously incarnated in the family, civil society, and the state. What Engels particularly embraced in all of this was an idea of modern pantheism (or, rather, pandeism), a merging of divinity with progressing humanity, a happy dialectical synthesis that freed him from the fixed oppositions of the pietist ethos of devout longing and estrangement.
Richard Wurmbrand, in Chapter 3 of Marx and Satan, wrote (emphases mine):
Engels had been brought up in a pietistic family. In fact, in his youth he had composed beautiful Christian poems …
Engels had begun to doubt the Christian faith after reading a book written by a liberal theologian, Bruno Bauer. He had had a great struggle in his heart …
Engels never found his way back to the Word of God, joining instead the one whom he himself had called “the monster possessed by ten thousand devils.” He had experienced a counter-conversion.
What kind of person was Bruno Bauer, the liberal theologian who played a decisive role in the destruction of Engels’s Christian faith and who endorsed Marx in his new anti-Christian ways? Did he have any connection with demons?
Like Engels himself, he started life as a believer and later as a conservative theologian, even writing against critics of the Bible. Afterward he himself became a radical critic of the Holy Scriptures and creator of a materialistic Christianity which insisted that Jesus was only human, not the Son of God. Bauer wrote to his friend Arnold Ruge, also a friend of Marx and Engels, on December 6, 1841:
I deliver lectures here at the university before a large audience. I don’t recognize myself when I pronounce my blasphemies from the pulpit. They are so great that these children, whom nobody should offend, have their hair standing on end. While delivering the blasphemies, I remember how I work piously at home writing an apology of the holy Scriptures and of the Revelation. In any case, it is a very bad demon that possesses me as often as I ascend the pulpit, and I am so weak that I am compelled to yield to him…. My spirit of blasphemy will be satisfied only if I am authorized to preach openly as professor of the atheistic system.
Here are just a few thoughts from Engels — completely incompatible with Christianity. Note the mention of Bauer:
The history of early Christianity has notable points of resemblance with the modern working-class movement. Like the latter, Christianity was originally a movement of oppressed people: it first appeared as the religion of slaves and emancipated slaves, of poor people deprived of all rights, of peoples subjugated or dispersed by Rome. Both Christianity and the workers’ socialism preach forthcoming salvation from bondage and misery; Christianity places this salvation in a life beyond, after death, in heaven; socialism places it in this world, in a transformation of society. Both are persecuted and baited, their adherents are despised and made the objects of exclusive laws, the former as enemies of the human race, the latter as enemies of the state, enemies of religion, the family, social order. And in spite of all persecution, nay, even spurred on by it, they forge victoriously, irresistibly ahead. Three hundred years after its appearance Christianity was the recognized state religion in the Roman World Empire, and in barely sixty years socialism has won itself a position which makes its victory absolutely certain …
One of our best sources on the first Christians is Lucian of Samosata, the Voltaire of classic antiquity, who was equally sceptic towards every kind of religious superstition and therefore bad neither pagan-religious nor political grounds to treat the Christians otherwise than as some other kind of religious community. On the contrary, he mocked them all for their superstition, those who prayed to Jupiter no less than those who prayed to Christ; from his shallow rationalistic point of view one sort of superstition was as stupid as the other …
… Bruno Bauer. His greatest service consists not merely in having given a pitiless criticism of the Gospels and the Epistles of the apostles, but in having for the first time seriously undertaken an inquiry into not only the Jewish and Greco-Alexandrian elements but the purely Greek and Greco-Roman elements that first opened for Christianity the career of a universal religion. The legend that Christianity arose ready and complete out of Judaism and, starting from Palestine, conquered the world with its dogma already defined in the main and its morals, has been untenable since Bruno Bauer; it can continue to vegetate only in the theological faculties and with people who wish “to keep religion alive for the people” even at the expense of science. The enormous influence which the Philonic school of Alexandria and Greco-Roman vulgar philosophy — Platonic and mainly Stoic — had on Christianity, which became the state religion under Constantine, is far from having been defined in detail, but its existence has been proved and that is primarily the achievement of Bruno Bauer: he laid the foundation of the proof that Christianity was not imported from outside — from Judea — into the Romano-Greek world and imposed on it, but that, at least in its world-religion form, it is that world’s own product … According to him Christianity as such appears only under the Flavians, the literature of the New Testament only under Hadrian, Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius. As a result the New Testament accounts of Jesus and his disciples are deprived for Bauer of any historical background: they are diluted in legends in which the phases of interior development and the moral struggles of the ‘ first communities are transferred to more or less fictitious persons. Not Galilee and Jerusalem, but Alexandria and Rome, according to Bauer, are the birthplaces of the new religion …
But we have in the New Testament a single book the time of the writing of which can be defined within a few months, which must have been written between June 67 and January or April 68; a book, consequently, which belongs to the very beginning of the Christian era and reflects with the most naive fidelity and in the corresponding idiomatic language the ideas of the beginning of that era. This book, therefore, in my opinion, is a far more important source from which to define what early Christianity really was than all the rest of the New Testament, which, in its present form, is of a far later date. This book is the so-called Revelation of John. And as this, apparently the most obscure book in the whole Bible, is moreover today, thanks to German criticism, the most comprehensible and the clearest, I shall give my readers an account of it …
In fact, the struggle against a world that at the beginning was superior in force, and at the same time against the novators themselves, is common to the early Christians and the Socialists. Neither of these two great movements were made by leaders or prophets — although there are prophets enough among both of them — they are mass movements. And mass movements are bound to be confused at the beginning; confused because the thinking of the masses at first moves among contradictions, lack of clarity and lack of cohesion, and also because of the role that prophets still play in them at the beginning. This confusion is to be seen in the formation of numerous sects which right against one another with at least the same zeal as against the common external enemy. So it was with early Christianity, so it was in the beginning of the socialist movement, no matter how much that worried the well-meaning worthies who preached unity where no unity was possible …
The rest consists in exhorting the faithful to be zealous in propaganda, to courageous and proud confession of their faith in face of the foe, to unrelenting struggle against the enemy both within and without — and as far as this goes they could just as well have been written by one of the prophetically minded enthusiasts of the International.
What kind of people were the first Christians recruited from? Mainly from the “labouring and burdened,” the members of the lowest strata of the people, as becomes a revolutionary element. And what did they consist of? In the towns of impoverished free men, all sorts of people, like the “mean whites” of the southern slave states and the European beachcombers and adventurers in colonial and Chinese seaports, then of emancipated slaves and, above all, actual slaves; on the large estates in Italy, Sicily, and Africa of slaves, and in the rural districts of the provinces of small peasants who had fallen more and more into bondage through debt …
The visions of the Apocalypse, which the author now shows us, are copied throughout, and mostly literally, from earlier models, partly from the classical prophets of the Old Testament, particularly Ezekiel, partly from later Jewish apocalypses written after the fashion of the Book of Daniel and in particular from the Book of Henoch which had already been written at least in part. Criticism has shown to the smallest details where our John got every picture, every menacing sign, every plague sent to unbelieving humanity, in a word, the whole of the material for his book; so that he not only shows great poverty of mind but even himself proves that he never experienced, even in imagination the alleged ecstasies and visions which he describes …
As this whole monument is made up of exclusively pre-Christian Jewish material it presents almost exclusively Jewish ideas. Since things started to go badly in this world for the people of Israel, from the time of the tribute to the Assyrians and Babylonians, from the destruction of the two kingdoms of Israel and Juda to the bondage under Seleucis, that is from Isaiah to Daniel, in every dark period there were prophecies of a saviour. In Daniel, XII, 1-3, there is even a prophecy about Michael, the guardian angel of the Jews, coming down on earth to save them from great trouble; many dead will come to life again, there will be a kind of last judgment and the teachers who have taught the people justice will shine like stars for all eternity. The only Christian point is the great stress laid on the imminent reign of Christ and the glory of the faithful, particularly the martyrs who have risen from the dead …
There can be no doubt that this book, with its date so originally authenticated as the year 68 or 69, is the oldest of all Christian literature. No other is written in such barbaric language, so full of Hebraisms, impossible constructions and mistakes in grammar. Chapter I, verse 4, for example, says literally: “Grace be unto you … from he that is being and that was and that is coming.” Only professional theologians and other historians who have a stake in it now deny that the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles are but later adaptations of writings which are now lost and whose feeble historical core is now unrecognizable in the maze of legend, that even the few Epistles supposed by Bruno Bauer to be “authentic” are either writings of a later date or at best adaptations of old works of unknown authors altered by additions and insertions …
Today’s post concludes with Dr Craig S Keener‘s explanation of various aspects of the Book of Revelation, the final book in the biblical canon.
The following comes from chapters 7 – 10 of his course on biblical hermeneutics, Biblical Interpretation.
If you read yesterday’s entry, you might be wondering about my take on the end times. I have always been amillenial, although I have read a fair amount of other perspectives, including dispensational ones.
In the main, Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans (including Episcopalians), Presbyterians and Reformed (Calvinist) church members are amillenial. This means, as I quoted Dr Keener yesterday, that, for us, the concept of the millennium (1000 years in Revelation 20) is symbolic. If you read my chapter-by-chapter series on the Book of Revelation found at the bottom of the Essential Bible Verses page, you will learn about the use of numbers in the book. This tradition did not start with Revelation but rather in ancient Jewish Messianic literature, which also relied heavily on dramatic symbolism. The Jews living at the time knew how to interpret these numbers and symbols. My entries on Revelation link to other sites where you can read more about both the use of numbers and symbolism. These make Revelation less sensational and more useful in a wider context of Christian life.
It’s important to discuss Revelation, because many Catholic and mainline Protestant churchgoers have been dissuaded from reading it. Yet, Revelation 1:3 states:
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Part of the confusion for the layman who wishes to know more about the book ends up on a number of sensationalist sites which plot the book’s end times course through history. Others detail a number of signs which announce that we won’t have long before the end is nigh. Yet, as Keener explained, many of these ‘signs’ change throughout history. Therefore, prediction is largely futile and erroneous.
That said, we should understand what Revelation says and know how to interpret its symbolism. This will avoid wasting hours, interesting though they are, reading prediction sites. A Catholic friend wrote me several years ago and said that she had just finished giving a course to her church on the Book of Revelation. This was, coincidentally, at a time when I had been poring over dispensationalist and end-of-the-world sites. They contained information I had never had in Catholic school; I was confused. So, I wrote her back and asked her what she had taught her class. No reply, even after a friendly reminder, which was unfortunate. I had to wait until last year to finally amass enough useful information about amillenialism and interpreting Messianic literature. That’s how I came to write my series! I did it for myself, but also for you — my readers. Please do have a look at it. It will change many misconceptions you might have about Revelation!
Finally — ‘end times’ refers to the period of time between the first Pentecost and Jesus’s second coming. For all intents and purposes, we have been in the end times for nearly two millenia.
Now onto Keener’s explanation of Revelation, which you will find in full at his link. What follows are some excerpts. Emphases below in bold are mine.
The Use of Symbolism?
Some people argue that we should take everything in the book of Revelation literally. But Revelation is full of images that we cannot take literally. Was a woman literally clothed with the sun in 12:1 (with the moon literally under her feet and twelve stars on her head)? Is Babylon literally the genetic mother of every prostitute in the world (17:5)? Revelation even tells us what some of its symbols represent, making clear that the book includes many symbols (1:20). God could create the sort of monsters described in Revelation 9, but they resemble locusts in Joel’s prophecy, where they are simply a poetic description of either a locust invasion or an invading army (or a combination of both).
Then take as much as possible literally, comes the reply. But why should this be the case? Is it not better to be consistent with how we interpret the rest of Revelation, which clearly has many symbols? The appropriate way to read narratives is normally to read them literally, but as we noted above, that is not the best way to read Hebrew poetry, nor the Old Testament prophecies given in poetic form. Neither is it the way to read New Testament prophecies that use the same mode of symbolic communication as many Old Testament prophecies. Some statements may be literal (we argue that the seven churches are, for example, literal churches), but others (like the woman clothed with the sun) are not, far more often than in narrative. Some scholars, pointing to a Greek word for “signified” or “communicated” in Rev 1:1, even suggest that one of the very terms used for revealing the message to John suggests that it came in symbols. (A related term for “sign” might bear this sense in 12:1, 3; 15:1.)
Jewish writers in John’s day who imitated the writing style of Old Testament prophets (writing a form of literature later called apocalyptic) frequently used symbolism as well (for example, 1 Enoch portrays angels impregnating women as stars impregnating cows). Just as Jewish teachers often used riddles to provoke thought, apocalyptic writings used enigmatic prophecies to challenge the hearers. Even if we had only the Old Testament as background for Revelation, however, we would expect an abundance of prophetic symbolism (for example, see especially Zechariah, Ezekiel, and many prophecies in Daniel and Isaiah).
Whole-Book Context
Revelation offers a running contrast between two cities: Babylon and the New Jerusalem. Babylon is a prostitute (17:5); the New Jerusalem a bride (21:2). Babylon is decked out with gold and pearls (17:4), like a prostitute seeking to allure us with its offer of sinful, temporary gratification. The New Jerusalem is built of gold and its gates are pearls (21:18, 21). No one with any sense would prefer Babylon to the New Jerusalem; but only those with faith in God’s promise wait for the city from above and resist present temptation.
In the days of Augustine (a North African theologian, AD 354-430), Rome fell to northern barbarian invaders, and Christians were dismayed. Augustine contrasted Rome with the City of God; earthly cities and empires decked with splendor will perish, but God’s city is eternal, and his promise to us will never fail. The world demands that one take the mark of the beast, if one wishes to buy or sell (13:17). But for those who refuse to compromise with the world’s kind of food (2:14, 20), God offers a promise of eternal food (2:7, 17) and manna even when the world persecutes them (12:6). Those who think themselves rich may be poor in what matters (3:17), just as those who seem to be poor may be rich in what matters (2:9). Jesus offers the true gold of the New Jerusalem to those who trust him rather than in their worldly wealth (3:18) …
Whole-book context also offers insight into what Revelation may mean when it mentions the mark of the beast. Should we preach about that by simply warning people to avoid something in the future, or does it have something to teach us in the present? Against what most of us have been taught, a consistent reading with the rest of Revelation suggests that this mark may not be visible to people. Notice the other marks written on people in the book of Revelation. For example, believers will become pillars in God’s future temple, and just as other ancient pillars had names inscribed on them, so we will have God’s name and the name of the New Jerusalem inscribed on us (3:12; cf. 2:17). Forever God’s and the lamb’s name will be written on our foreheads (22:4), perhaps like a slave brand or some other kind of brand showing to whom we belong. Jesus comes back with a name written on his thigh (19:12-13, 16), perhaps so John could read his title in the vision. Babylon the great has a name written on her forehead (17:5), but just as Babylon is not a literal woman, we recognize that the inscription is part of the vision, not literally written on a woman’s head.
Just like God placed a mark on the righteous in Ezekiel 9:4-6, so God seals the 144,000 to protect them during his judgments (Rev 7:3). As in Ezekiel, this is a mark that only God himself sees. Because there were no chapter breaks in the original Bible, the first readers would have readily noticed the contrast between the 144,000 and the rest of the world (13:1614:5). Those who follow the beast bear his name (13:17); those who follow the lamb bear his (14:1). The beast, progeny of its master the dragon, has seven heads and ten horns (12:3; 13:1; 17:3, 7). But a second beast is a deliberate counterfeit of the lamb (compare 5:6): he has two horns like a lamb, but speaks the dragon’s message (13:11). A small army of 144,000 follow the true lamb; the rest of the world (the army of which is at least 200 million, 9:16) follows the beast. Each follower has an identifying mark showing their loyalty, either to the lamb or to the beast. Whether those in the world need to see a literal mark showing who belongs to them or simply signs of allegiance, the preaching point is clear: we must be loyal to God’s side, not the world’s, no matter what the cost.
Background
John probably wrote this book while in exile (1:9) in the time of the Roman emperor Domitian. Domitian demanded that everyone worship his statue as if he were a god, and the early Christians refused to give it. This issue was most pressing in western Asia Minor, where the seven churches were; some of these churches already were facing persecution (2:9-10, 13; 3:9). The first audience of Revelation would have found its warning about worshiping the image of the beast (13:15) relevant for their own day! Some of the other churches, however, were compromising with the very world system that was killing their siblings elsewhere (2:14, 20; 3:2, 15-18).
The seven churches of Asia Minor (1:4) were an audience just as real as any church to which Paul wrote. The churches are in the seven most prominent cities of the Roman province of Asia, and are arranged in precisely the sequence that a messenger traveling from Patmos would deliver the letters. Many issues addressed (such as wealth and distasteful water in Laodicea) address precisely the issues we know were relevant to these particular churches. This is not to say that the message is relevant only for the church addressed; Jesus invites everyone to listen in on his message to each of the churches (2:7). But we learn from their example the same way we learned from the churches Paul addressed: we learn the background so we can understand what issues the inspired writer was really addressing.
We spoke above about Babylon. This need no more be a literal name than the false prophets’ parents had literally named them “Balaam” or “Jezebel” in 2:14, 20. As most Christians through history have recognized, the Babylon of John’s day is Rome. Everyone knew that Rome was a city on seven hills (17:9); Rome even had an annual festival called “Seven Mountains,” celebrating its founding. The imports in 18:12-13 are precisely the imports we know were most prominent in Rome, and in John’s day Rome was the only mercantile empire to rule the kings of the earth by sea (17:18; 18:15-19). Most importantly, Jewish sources (and probably 1 Pet 5:13) already called Rome “Babylon.” This was because Rome, like Babylon, had enslaved God’s people and destroyed the temple.
The implications of associating Revelation’s “Babylon” with Rome are dramatic. In 18:2-3, John hears a funeral dirge over Babylon (just like the dirge over literal Babylon in Is. 21:9). Rome, the mightiest empire the world had yet known, seemed ready to crush the tiny church of Jesus Christ. Rome had exiled the aged prophet John to the island of Patmos (1:9). Yet John hears a funeral dirge over this mighty empire! What faith it must have taken the early Christians to believe this promise that their oppressor would fall; yet John stood on the shoulders of earlier prophets who had prophesied against Assyria, literal Babylon, and so forth, and their prophecies had come to pass. Assyria, Babylon, Rome, and all the other empires of past history now lie in ashes. But the church of Jesus Christ, whom past empires threatened to stamp out, is more widespread than ever before! In a day when the church was established mainly in a few cities of the Roman Empire, John prophesied a church from every tribe and people and nation (5:9; 7:9) and so it has come to pass!
But while “Babylon” for John’s first readers is Rome, that is simply because Rome filled the role in John’s day. If Rome could be a new Babylon, there could be other new Babylons or new Romes, other evil empires that usurp the rightful role of God’s future kingdom. These need not be geographically in Italy any more than Rome as a new Babylon was geographically in the Middle East. In other words, Babylon is the city of the world, like the city called “Sodom” and “Egypt” in 11:8; the world system, in its rebellion against God, is the alternative to the New Jerusalem. But just as the first Babylon fell, just as Rome fell, so likewise the other Babylon’s and Rome’s of history will fall. The final empires will collapse in the day when the kingdom of this world becomes the kingdom of our God and of his Christ (11:15)!
The Roman background might be relevant for understanding the evil king in Rev 13:1-3 and 17:10-11. The first emperor to officially persecute the church was Nero, who burned Christians alive as torches to light his gardens at night. When Nero was killed, however, the belief that he was coming back became so widespread that some impostors rose up claiming to be Nero; a few years before Revelation was written, one false Nero even persuaded the Parthians to follow him across the river Euphrates to invade Asia Minor. Many scholars thus suggest that the head wounded to death and returning to life in 13:3 is a “new Nero.” This does not mean that he is literal Nero come back (any more than the figures in 11:3-6 are a literal Moses or literal Elijah come back); it would simply mean that he comes “in the spirit and power” of Nero (cf. Lk 1:17), i.e., he is being compared with Nero, the terrible persecutor. That is, Revelation uses the language of its day to say, “the future dictator will be like Nero Caesar, just as evil and persecuting Christians just as much.” A Parthian invasion from across the Euphrates was a horrifying image in John’s day, and a new Nero warned of future suffering.
Two further factors support this association with Nero. Revelation speaks of a past king not currently reigning, who would return (17:10-11); Nero was definitely one of the few kings before the current one when Revelation was written. Further, if his name is spelled in Hebrew letters, it comes out to 666. Many early Christians thought that Nero would return as the final Antichrist. There are, of course, other possible interpretations; “beast” in Hebrew letters also comes out to 666, and this point is no less relevant. Whether Nero or not, the final evil world ruler will be a wicked one! And the character of that evil ruler is already at work in others who do evil (2 Thess 2:7; 1 Jn 2:18). Let us never underestimate evil nor forget that in the final analysis, the righteous God is still in control (Rev 17:17).
Other Reapplications of Old Testament Images
… We could also note the reapplication of the plagues of Exodus in Revelation’s judgments (chapters 8, 9, and 16), or the city called “Sodom” and “Egypt.” Revelation is not pretending to “predict” the plagues of Moses’ day, nor is the city of which it speaks the literal Sodom or Egypt of old (as if it could be both!) …
Let us take one more example, perhaps the most controversial one possible, namely, the length of Revelation’s tribulation. Are the 1260 days (11:2-3; 12:6, 14; 13:5) literal or figurative? Whether they are literal or figurative, several factors warn us not to assume, before investigating, that Revelation must mean them literally. Revelation gets this length of time from similar figures in Daniel (e.g., Dan 7:25; 12:7, 11); but it may address a different issue than Daniel does. In Daniel, this period involves an abomination of desolation (Dan 11:31; 12:11); Jesus shows that at least one of these happened before Revelation was written, within the generation Jesus spoke of it (Matt 24:15, 34; Mk 13:14, 30). (Those who claim that “generation” means “race” there are making up their own meanings for Greek words; the term always means “generation” in the Gospels.)
Daniel’s literal abomination had already been fulfilled before Revelation was written (Revelation was written over two decades after the temple’s destruction!) Further, Daniel’s chronology rests on a symbolic reapplication of Jeremiah’s “70 years” prophecy, after the 70 years were nearly over (Dan 9:2-3, 24). If Daniel could symbolically reapply a number in Jeremiah, why could not Revelation reapply a number in Daniel? Many of John’s Jewish contemporaries also reapplied Daniel’s period of time symbolically, so everyone would have understood this method if Revelation followed it.
This would not mean that Daniel was not literal on this point (as we said, at least one of Daniel’s abominations was fulfilled literally before Revelation was written, according to Jesus); only that Revelation applies the number differently. Because Revelation often uses numbers (like 12,000 and 144) symbolically, it is possible that Revelation borrows Daniel’s number to tell us less about the length of time than the kind of time. But so far we have only argued that it is possible, not that Revelation actually uses the period symbolically. How can we know whether it employs the number symbolically or literally?
In Revelation 12:1-6, the dragon (the devil) opposes a woman and the child born from her. When the child is caught up to rule the nations with a rod of iron, the woman fled into the wilderness for 1260 days. Almost everyone agrees that the child refers to Jesus (cf. 12:17; 19:15); if so, the 1260 days seem to start when Jesus was exalted to heaven (over 60 years before Revelation was written). It begins with the first coming and ends with the second coming. For Judaism, the final tribulation was the period directly before the end (sometimes three and a half, or seven, or forty, or even 400 years), but we Christians recognize that we are already in the end-time. The coming Messiah has already come once, and we who live between the first and second coming live in the end-time, always awaiting our Lord’s return. Just as the lion is the lamb, Christ’s going and return frame the tribulation; all Jewish expectations take on new meaning in light of Christ’s coming.
It is perfectly likely that there will in fact be further intensification of tribulation just before the end, but Revelation’s point, at least in this passage, has a broader relevance to us than that. Our present time in the world is a time of tribulation, but we can take courage, because Jesus has overcome the world (Jn 16:33). The woman and her other children were in the wilderness (12:6, 17), which tells us about the nature of the in-between time. Israel lived in the wilderness between their redemption from Egypt and their inheritance in the promised land. By Christ’s exaltation we, too, have begun to experience salvation; Satan can no longer accuse us (12:10); but we must still endure in this world until Christ’s return (12:11-12).
There is not space here to address whether this is the only sense of the tribulation period in Revelation (I address the issue at greater length in relevant passages in my commentary on Revelation). But the present “end-time” does appear to be the point in chapter 12, and the New Testament often does view the present age as the end-time period. Ever since the first apostles, we have been in the “last days” (Acts 2:17; 1 Tim 4:1; 2 Tim 3:1; Jms 5:3; 1 Pet 1:20; 2 Pet 3:3). Jewish people spoke of the end-time as the “birth-pangs of the Messiah,” but Jesus taught that the birth pangs have already started, whereas the end will come only when we have finished our mission of preaching the gospel to all nations (Matt 24:6-8, 14). Paul declared that even creation is already experiencing birth pangs with us to bring forth the new world (Rom 8:22-23). Knowing that we live in the end-time should affect how we live. Since Pentecost we have lived in the era of the outpouring of the Spirit; we live in an era begun by Jesus and to be finished by him. Therefore we should keep focused on who sent us, what our mission is, and what and whom we are really to be looking for.
Tomorrow: Conclusions on hermeneutics and cultural context
The next few posts concern the Book of Revelation, which Dr Craig S Keener explores in detail in Chapters 7 – 10 of his course on biblical hermeneutics, Biblical Interpretation.
In the introduction to yesterday’s post, I mentioned Hal Lindsey’s 1970 bestseller The Late, Great Planet Earth, which made the rounds of my high school for all four years. Books like these should be popular only amongst high school students. Anyone who knows world history will see that there were numerous times in numerous places when, surely, the end was nigh. Anyone who has even lived through much of the 20th century should be able to see that the world has survived many catastrophes and horrors; some were natural disasters and others were manmade as a result of war and dictatorships. Unfortunately, people old enough to know better — Harold Camping, anyone? — believe they can predict the end of the world. Yet, Jesus said:
But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. (Mark 13:32)
Keener details more of these erroneous predictions below, recurring throughout history. Emphases in bold are mine.
A History of Misinterpretations
Too often people in the past two centuries have used “newspaper hermeneutics” to understand Revelation, that is, they have interpreted it in light of newspaper headlines. This is why many prophecy teachers have to change their interpretations of the book so often. That they recognize that Jesus could be coming soon, hence that prophecy is being fulfilled now, is commendable, but assertions that some current event definitely fulfills a biblical passage only leads to disillusionment when today’s headlines end up in tomorrow’s trash bin.
One example of newspaper hermeneutics involves interpretations of the “kings of the east” in Rev. 16:12. In the early twentieth century, many North American interpreters thought of the “kings of the east” as the Ottoman Empire, headquartered in Turkey. Of course, the seven churches of western Asia Minor could never have conceived of kings of the “east” as Turkey, since Asia Minor is modern Turkey! But to western interpreters over a century ago, the Turks seemed the most threatening “eastern” empire on their horizon. After the Ottoman Empire was dismembered at the end of World War I, the new threatening “eastern” empire was imperial Japan (an empire that also threatened Korea, China, the Philippines and the rest of Asia). After imperial Japan was defeated at the end of World War II, western interpreters shifted the title to Communist China.
The only common factor in any of these interpretations was that these hostile kings were to the “east” of those interpreting the passage; sometimes the interpretations may also reveal some anti-Asian sentiments, which are unbiblical and ungodly. How would John’s first readers have understood “kings of the east”? To everyone in the Roman Empire, and especially in Asia Minor, the greatest military threat was the Parthian Empire. The Parthian king rode a white horse, and claimed to be “king of kings and lord of lords.” The definitive boundary between the Roman and Parthian empires was the River Euphrates (cf. 9:14; 16:12). Although they ruled in the region of Iran and Iraq, the geography is less important than the image: the most feared enemies of the Empire would invade it. In the end, it was northern barbarians rather than an eastern empire that did the Roman Empire in, but Rome did die by invasion. Yet conquest remains a frightening warning of judgment in any generation, and from any location (6:1-4).
Other prophetic interpretation errors abound. Jehovah’s Witnesses, a cult, wrongly predicted Christ’s return or other end-time events for 1874, 1878, 1881, 1910, 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975, and 1984 . Even Bible-loving Christians, however, have made mistakes in setting dates, contrary to our Lord’s teaching (Mk 13:32). The church father Hippolytus concluded that the Lord would come by the year 500. Saint Martin of Tours believed that the Antichrist was already alive in his day; Martin died in 397, so if the final Antichrist is still alive, he possesses remarkable longevity!
Others have offered “prophetic” interpretations of the news uncritically. Some prophecy teachers in the 1920s embraced a work called The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as confirming their teaching; the work is now known to be a forgery used by the Nazis. Many Christians in the 1970s worried about a computer in Belgium called “the beast”unaware that the computer existed only in a novel! Around 1980 I heard a prophecy teacher explain that the Soviet Union would, in the next year or two, invade Iran, take control of the world’s oil supply, and precipitate a world war. Needless to say, his prediction is running behind schedule at best.
Various books (including Richard Kyle, The Last Days Are Here Again [Baker, 1998]; Dwight Wilson, Armageddon Now! The Premillenarian Response to Russia and Israel Since 1917 [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1977]) have documented countless claims made by prophecy teachers through history, and especially in the past 150 years, about various contemporary events. These teachers were occasionally right (about as often as astrologers), but were wrong the vast majority of times.
Below is a brief sampling of mistakes in recent history, borrowed from the introduction to my own commentary on Revelation (Revelation, NIV Application Commentary [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000]):
• Christopher Columbus voyaged to the New World hoping to help precipitate the biblical new heaven and earth
• During the Reformation, Melchior Hoffman allowed himself to be arrested in Strassburg on the belief that it was about to become the New Jerusalem
• Also during the Reformation, Thomas Müntzer aided the Peasant’s Revolt of 1524, believing that it would precipitate the final judgment; the peasants lost, and Müntzer was executed. In those days, end-time speculations died hardsometimes literally!
• When King James I persecuted early Baptist leaders in England they feared that they were enduring the final tribulation
• Many Americans believed that King George III (probably one of England’s most pious rulers, as John Wesley recognized) was the final Antichrist
• Many northern ministers expected the U.S. Civil War to establish God’s kingdom in their favor; some ministers expected God to weigh in on the opposite side
• William Booth, an apostolic leader in the late nineteenth century whose Salvation Army was doing great works for God, believed that the Salvation Army he had founded “had been chosen by God as the chief agency to finally and fully establish” God’s kingdom
More recently, Christians in the U.S. bought over 3 million copies of Edgar Whisenant’s 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1988. A friend of mine worked in a Christian bookstore whose owner urged her to sell as many copies of the book by the end of 1988 as possible; the owner warned that no one would buy the book in 1989. Sure enough, Christians failed to buy many copies of his updated version the next year, rescheduling Jesus’ return to 1989. Let it never be said that North American Christians are easily deceived at least twice in a row by the same author the following year. The world was watching, however: the campus newspaper at the university where I was doing my Ph.D. mocked the failed predictions. Others predicted the Lord’s return for various dates in the 1990’s or for the year 2000. As one other writer has pointed out, all predictors of times and seasons have had only one thing in common: they have all been wrong.
Often interpreters have proceeded on the basis of two assumptions: first, that we are the last generation; and second, that all prophecies apply to the last generation. The first assumption is always possible, but we cannot ever assert it dogmatically; every generation, looking at potential “signs” around them, has hoped that it might be the last generation. (Biblically, the last generation needs to do more than hope: we need to finish the task of world evangelization, whatever the cost.) The second assumption is simply wrong; many prophecies were already fulfilled within the Bible or await Jesus’ return. Not all pertain specifically to the final generation before his return.
Views about Revelation
Traditionally, readers have taken one of the following approaches to interpreting Revelation:
1. Preterist: those who believe that everything was fulfilled in the first century
2. Historicist: those who believe that Revelation predicted the details of subsequent history which we can now recognize in history books
3. Idealist: those who believe that Revelation contains timeless principles
4. Futurist: those who believe that Revelation addresses the future
The historicist interpretation has been largely abandoned because history does not fit the outline of Revelation very well. (This is true even for the letters to the seven churches, which some once read as stages of church history; very few scholars accept this today even in the “dispensational” tradition where it was once most common. Dispensationalism has also changed a great deal since it was founded.)
Of the other views, there is something legitimate in each, provided that we do not use one of them to exclude the other views. It is true that Revelation, like other books in the Bible, was written first to an ancient audience (the preterist view); the book explicitly addresses the seven churches in Asia Minor just like Paul addresses churches in his letters (Rev 1:4), and Revelation is written in Greek and uses symbols that first-century readers would understand. This need not mean, however, that it does not speak about the future or (like the rest of the Bible) articulate principles useful for subsequent generations.
Revelation contains timeless principles relevant for the church in every generation. It also speaks about the future, in addition to the present and the past. Readers may disagree on how much of Revelation refers to the future, but almost everyone agrees that Revelation 1922, at least, is future. Likewise, at least some of it refers directly to the past: the catching up of the child in Revelation 12 (whom most believe to be Jesus) has already happened.
Beyond these points, however, readers have come to startlingly different conclusions about Revelation’s teaching throughout history. We can illustrate this divergence by way of commenting on the “millennium,” the 1000-year period mentioned in Revelation 20. Many readers schooled in a particular tradition may be surprised to learn how many people they respect in church history have held other interpretations …
After the Book of Revelation was finished, the first church fathers (leaders of the early church for the first few centuries) were premillennial; that is, they believed that Jesus would come back before the 1000 years in Revelation. They also were all post-tribulational; that is, they all believed either that they were already in the great tribulation, or that it was future but that Jesus would not return for his church until afterwards. But a few centuries later, by the time of Augustine, most Christians were amillennial. Many believed that when Constantine ended the persecutions against Christians, the 1000 years started, and many were expecting Jesus’ return 1000 years after Constantine. Another amillennial view, more common today and easier to defend from Scripture, is that the millennium is symbolic for the period between the first and second coming, with Christ ruling until his enemies are put under his feet. Not only were most Medieval Christians amillennial, but so were most of the Reformers (including Luther and Calvin). Most denominations founded in times when amillennialism predominated are most amillennial today; the same is true of churches in various parts of the world founded by amillennial missionaries. By contrast, churches founded by premillennial missionaries are usually premillennial! John Wesley believed in two separate millennia in Revelation 20, one in heaven and the other on earth.
Most leaders of the Great Awakenings in the eighteenth- and especially nineteenth-century United States were postmillennial, including Jonathan Edwards and Charles Finney. During revivals that brought a large percentage of people in the early nineteenth-century United States to Christ, people exercised faith that “the gospel of the kingdom” would be “preached among all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt 24:14). Charles Finney, who may have led as many as half a million people to Christ, and helped lead the movement against slavery, was postmillennial. Postmillennialists believed that they would, through God’s Spirit, establish God’s kingdom on earth, and then Jesus would come back to take his throne. Today most Christians view postmillennialism as naïve optimism, but it was the dominant view of Christians in the U.S. in the nineteenth century.
Another view is first attested in the nineteenth and popular in the twentieth century. This view is called dispensational premillennialism. In or around 1830, John Nelson Darby came up with a system of interpretation that divided Scripture between what applied to Israel (the Old Testament, Gospels, Revelation, and much of Acts) and what applied directly to the church (especially the epistles). Through this system he argued that spiritual gifts were not for the church age, and that there would be a separate coming for the church (before the tribulation) and for Israel (afterward). Once introduced, the view was popularized through the Scofield Reference Bible, becoming popular especially in the early twentieth century. The failure of postmillennial optimism in the nineteenth century and the disintegration of the old, evangelical consensus in the U.S. made this view appear appealing. And after all, who would complain about getting raptured before a tribulation rather than afterward?
We cannot afford the space to debate for or against this view here, but merely wish to point out that most people who hold this view are unaware that no one in church history held this view before 1830. Some today believe that this view is clear; but Christians read the Bible for over 1700 years without anyone, so far as we know, noticing it! (And that, even though most Christians through history believed that they were already in the end-times, and many, like many Christians for the past few generations, that they were in the final generation.) Each view cites verses to defend its position, but each of these verses must be examined in context to be sure of its meaning. That includes views that are widely held today, like dispensationalism; and we should remember that such views widely held today were rarer or (in this case) unheard of in earlier history. For whatever it is worth, the majority of scholars committed to Scripture today are either amillennial or non-dispensational (generally post-tribulational) premillennial, though there are good scholars with other views.
In my opinion, premillennialists have an easier time explaining Revelation 20 itself, but amillennialists other end-time passages (for many, the debate then becomes whether to interpret the more explicit but single text in light of the many but less explicit ones, or the reverse). Since we will all know which view is correct by the time it happens, I see little point in arguing about it. Certainly it is foolish to break fellowship with other Christians over these matters! Why then do I raise the issue? Only to help us be more charitable to those who hold different interpretations of Revelation than we do. If we fight with our brothers and sisters over every single passage we interpret differently, then we will be out of fellowship with most of Christ’s body. The true church is united on the essential matters necessary for following Jesus, but beyond that it is our unity and love that shows the world God’s character (John 13:34-35; 17:20-23).
The real issues for us here must be the practical ones that our methods above can help us fathom. Some issues are very practical but no real Christian disputes them: for example, we all recognize that we must be ready for our Lord to return. But other issues are practical and often missed by interpreters who lack access to cultural background or whole-book context methods …
Tomorrow: Symbolism in Revelation
Continuing with Chapters 7 – 10 of Dr Craig S Keener‘s course in biblical hermeneutics, Biblical Interpretation, today we look at Old Testament prophecy and the New Testament’s Book of Revelation.
Much has been written about the Book of Revelation and the ‘end times’. When I entered Catholic high school, Hal Lindsey’s The Late, Great Planet Earth (1970) was popular with my fellow students. I’ve never read it, only his Wikipedia entry. Lindsey seems to have been correct on a powerful European Union and that what was the counterculture 40 years ago is mainstream today.
Like many end times pundits, however, Lindsey had unsuccessfully predicted the end of the world. The 1980s were to have been the last decade before the end of the world, then, when that didn’t come true, he wrote that we would be unlikely to see the year 2000.
Many end times authors look to the Old Testament prophets and to the last book in the biblical canon, Revelation, to arrive at their predictions. This ‘end is nigh’ thinking accompanies dispensationalism, a Pentecostalist belief that faithful Christians will be ‘raptured’ — literally aspirated to Heaven — before the Tribulation. You can read more about it here and here.
For a balanced, amillenial view of Revelation, please see my chapter-by-chapter entries in Essential Bible Verses. As it is the last book of the canon, they are near the bottom of the page.
Now on to Keener’s exploration of prophecy, a separate biblical genre. Emphases in bold below are mine.
9. Prophecy
Many prophecies appear in the Bible’s historical books, but we also have books that consist primarily of prophecy with merely some historical summaries in them, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or Hosea or Nahum. In the historical books, it is usually clear when prophecies address a specific king or period in Israel’s history, in which case we study them the way we study God’s other actions in historical narrative (see discussion above.) But how do we interpret books of prophecies that do not provide the full background concerning the situations they address? Below we provide some principles that should prove helpful.
(1) Find out who and what circumstances the prophecy addresses in context.
To ascertain the circumstances prophecies addressed, you can usually discover the specific era in which a prophet prophesied by looking at the beginning of the book, which usually (though not always) lists the reigns of the rulers during which the prophet prophesied. Then you can turn to 1-2 Kings and 1-2 Chronicles to learn what was going on in Israel in that period of time.
(2) Use the law and earlier prophets as background.
The prophets saw themselves as calling Israel back to the covenant; many judgments they announce simply fulfill the warnings of curses in Deuteronomy 27-28. Their language regularly echoes and recycles the language of earlier prophets for their own generation. Many of the prophets repeat the same basic message over and over, except in creatively new, poetic ways. Some surrounding cultures claimed prophets, but none of them had a succession of prophets with the same basic message generation after generation. (The city of Mari had prophets whose most “moral” reproof to a king might be that he was in danger of losing a battle because he was not paying enough money to the temple. Egypt had prophetic writers who denounced injustices of past rulers, which is a little closer but still not like the Bible’s prophetic succession.)
(3) Before the exile, prophets usually prophesied in poetry in their books.
That prophets often prophesied in poetry invites us to interpret them in a particular manner. First, most ancient poetry was rich in symbolism, worded so as to capture attention. Most people knew that not all the details were literal; rather, one should strive to catch the basic point. Some details were even deliberately obscure until their fulfillment, though clear enough in retrospect that one would recognize both God’s wisdom and humanity’s foolishness in not understanding it.
Second, Israelite prophecy involved parallelism, as in the psalms and proverbs. (When the King James was translated, this principle was not recognized, but nearly all newer translations arrange biblical prophecies in lines like other poetry, which makes it easy to recognize the poetic form.) Some modern poetry and songs balance sound, for instance, by rhyme and rhythm; but the Israelites balanced especially ideas. Thus the second line might repeat the thought of the first line (either in the same words or in similar ones that might slightly develop the thought). Or the second line might give the opposite point (e.g., if the first line says, the memory of the righteous will be blessed, the second might note that the name of the wicked will rot). In such cases, we should not read into parallel lines different thoughts. Some preachers have even taken separate points of their sermon from parallel lines, but in the original poetry, these separate lines were not separate ideas; they were simply varied ways of stating the same idea.
(4) Was the prophecy fulfilled already? Does some remain?
Here you should check historical parts of Bible and other historical information to see if a prophecy was fulfilled. Often prophecies are poetic ways to give the general sense, while the particular application remains ambiguous (Is 37:29, 33-37); God does not give prophecy to satisfy our curiosity, but to tell us just what we need. Thus we should not expect literal fulfillment of every detail as if prophecies were prose rather than poetry (although God sometimes did fulfill details literally). Thus, for example, all scholars agree that Jeremiah prophesied before Jerusalem’s fall, announcing in advance judgment on his own people. (This was unusual in the ancient Near East, where prophets were often expected to be patriotic and encourage their people to victories.) But Jeremiah (and Deuteronomy) prophesied the restoration of Israel to the land. When the Assyrians had carried people into captivity, no one ever returned, and no one expected matters to be different with the Babylonians. But a generation after Jeremiah’s death the Judean exiles returned to their land. This was a remarkable, large-scale fulfillment, not naturally expected and not able to be viewed as coincidence, that validates Jeremiah’s prophecy even if some details were intended poetically. Jeremiah’s very writing style lets us know that many of his details are merely poetic, graphic ways of communicating his broader point (e.g., Jer 4:7-9, 20-31). (Parts of Daniel include more details in prose; these occurred exactly as Daniel predicted them.)
A few prophecies were never fulfilled and never will be (e.g., Jer 46:13; Ezek 29:19; 30:10), because people responded to the threats or took for granted the promises; God gives many prophecies in a conditional manner (Jer 18:7-10).
Of prophecies that were fulfilled, part may remain future. This is because there are consistent patterns in God’s dealing with humanity, because both God and human nature have remained the same. Thus, for example, the temple was repeatedly judged in “abominations of desolation,” by the Babylonians (587 BC), by Antiochus Epiphanes (second century BC), by Pompey (first century BC), by Titus (first century AD) and by Hadrian (second century AD). (Referring in advance to Titus’ destruction of the temple, Jesus could speak of an abomination of desolation within one generation–Matt 23:36-38; 24:1-3, 15, 34–which was fulfilled forty years after Jesus predicted it.) Because there are many evil emperors in history, the “mystery of lawlessness is already at work” (2 Thess 2:7); because deceivers remain, there are already many antichrists (1 Jn 2:18).
When a prophecy was not fulfilled but deals with God’s unconditional promises, how much of it remains future? For example, the Israelites’ return from Babylon was a clear miracle, although Cyrus needed less miraculous persuasion to let his captives return home than Pharaoh had needed when the Israelites had been slaves in Egypt. (Indeed, he sent home other captive peoples as well.) But Isaiah’s exalted prophecies of the deserts blossoming with lilies were not fulfilled; Israel remained a very small kingdom. (This disappointment seemed no less severe than the generation that wandered in the wilderness after a miraculous deliverance from slavery in Egypt.) Some aspects of Isaiah’s prophecy were fulfilled in Jesus’ ministry, both physically and spiritually (e.g., Is 35:5-6; 61:1-2; Matt 11:5; Lk 4:18-19). But history also suggests that God is preserving Israel for a purpose. Israel was scattered again a generation after Jesus’ crucifixion, as he warned would happen in judgment (Lk 21:20-24). Yet the Jewish people never disappeared, in contrast to the Hittites, Edomites, Philistines and other nations that were assimilated into other peoples.
Jesus’ coming may appear at first sight a less dramatic deliverance than the first exodus or the return from Babylon, but within a few centuries Judea’s oppressors were converted to belief in Israel’s God–something more dramatic than happened with Pharaoh or Cyrus. Today perhaps half the world’s population acknowledges that there is one God; much of this faith may be inadequate in many respects, but from the standpoint of Jeremiah’s or Jesus’ day it would appear an amazing miracle. All this leads us to expect the fulfillment of future promises of restoration, though we cannot get past the prophets’ symbolic language to fathom all the details. Those who have been grafted into the biblical heritage and hope by faith (Rom 2:26-29; 11:17-24) share in those future promises.
We must be careful, however, in speaking of “double fulfillments.” Many of the “secondary fulfillments” of Scripture we see in the New Testament are actually applications or analogies with the Old Testament, not claims to primary fulfillment. Thus, for example, when Hosea said, “Out of Egypt have I called my son,” the context makes clear that he speaks of Israel in the exodus (Hos 11:1). When Matthew applies this to Jesus, it is because he recognizes an analogy between Israel and Jesus, who repeats Israel’s history but overcomes: for instance, tested forty days in the wilderness (as Israel was for forty years), Jesus passes the very temptations Israel failed (note the context of the verses he quotes from Deuteronomy).
The whole Old Testament bears witness to Christ because it reveals God’s character, his way of saving by grace, his ways of using deliverers, his principles for atonement, covenant and promise, his purposes for his people, and so forth. This means that understanding it properly leads us to recognize in Christ the promised deliverer, and God had all this in mind when he inspired the Old Testament Scripture.
It does not mean, however, that we are free to come up with new “fulfillments” of Scripture randomly; the writers of the New Testament were guided by special inspiration, but we cannot make the same claim. That is not to deny that we should be led by the Spirit in understanding Scripture. It is rather to claim that if we say, “The Bible says,” we dare say only what it specifically says. If we read into the Bible what is not there, we should be honest and say, “This is my view, not the Bible’s,” or “I felt as if God were leading me this way.” The safest way to read Scripture is to look for its one meaning; with so much of the Bible yet to understand correctly, we have no reason to go looking for “hidden” meanings!
(5) We should beware of “prophecy teachers” who claim that every detail of the biblical text is being fulfilled in our generation.
Through most of church history and especially in the past two centuries, many interpreters have reinterpreted biblical prophecies to apply them to their own generation. Every decade or two, as news events change, they have to revise their interpretation of Scripture. In such cases teachers are not reading Scripture on its own authority, but interpreting it in light of current news reports. This is problematic because they do it on two assumptions: first, that all prophecy applies to the final generation (which is not true, biblically); and second, that we must be the final generation. But most generations in history believed they were the final generation! God says that for all we know we might be–or we might not (Mk 13:32); we must always be ready (Mk 13:33-37). In the New Testament, the “last days” included the entire period between the first and second coming, including the first century (Acts 2:17; 1 Tim 4:1; 2 Tim 3:1; Heb 1:2; James 5:3; 2 Pet 3:3).
Most interpreters who claim, “All this is being fulfilled now” use biblical texts that are general enough to have been “fulfilled” similarly many other times. A number of books (e.g., Richard Kyle, The Last Days Are Here Again [Baker, 1998]) survey the history of errors that are common to every group that has practiced prophecy interpretation. Most people know that some groups repeatedly predicted the end of the world and were wrong, but we mostly know about those groups that kept insisting they were “somewhat” right. Yet from some early church fathers through some Reformers and many modern prophecy teachers, the same mistake has occurred over and over again. We should learn from history, as well as from Jesus’ warnings (Mk 13:32; Acts 1:7).
10. Revelation
Revelation is a particular kind of prophecy; because of its special importance and the interest it generates, I have devoted an entire section to its discussion. Revelation is a mixture of prophecy and apocalyptic (a special kind of prophecy that appears in Daniel, parts of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah), delivered in a letter format.
On any book like Revelation, there will be serious differences of opinion, and we must be charitable in our disagreements. Nevertheless, it is worth exploring to see what the methods introduced above can teach us, and how they can take us beyond many of the views that have circulated widely. Reading Revelation as a whole (paying attention to whole-book context) and in light of its background (Old Testament and other background) will help us avoid or correct many of the common mistakes we have often inherited from others.
Revelation is not meant to be an obscure book. It may not be meant to satisfy our curiosity regarding all end-time details, but it certainly is a very practical book that presents God’s demands on our lives. Thus it opens by promising a blessing to those who heed and obey its message (Rev 1:3) which presumes that we can at least understand enough of it to obey it! An angel told Daniel that the book of Daniel would be sealed up and understood only in the end-time (Dan 12:9); by contrast, the angel told John not to seal up his book, because the end-time was near (Rev 22:10). Revelation may be “hidden” to those who think they need a special key in someone’s teaching to unlock it. It is certainly unclear to those who interpret it only in light of current newspaper headlines which require us to readjust our interpretations every year or two. But it is not as hidden to those of us who read Revelation straight through and understand it in its whole-book context. All Scripture should be profitable for teaching and instruction in righteousness from the time it was written (2 Tim 3:16-17) so whatever else it might mean, at least Revelation must mean something relevant for our lives today.
Tomorrow: A history of misinterpretations of Revelation
Continuing with Richard Wurmbrand‘s book, Marx and Satan, Chapter 8 recounts satanic masses which the Communists held.
He also tells us what oaths satanists take during initiation rites. We may think that this has little to do with us, however, we will find that these ancient oaths have become, surprisingly, today’s familiar slogans. In fact, one was actively promoted in 1968 by the German student in Paris who is now a French (Green) politician in the European Parliament, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, who, earlier in his career, was a teacher’s aide, preoccupied with children’s sexuality. Note that in 2008, a New York Times article lauded Cohn-Bendit’s prominent role in the 1968 student demonstrations (at the same link). Cohn-Bendit probably did not stumble on these oaths by chance — only a few years before he had been a member of an anarchist society. After the student demonstrations, France deported him to Germany (still possible in those days), where he ended up working at the Karl Marx bookstore in Frankfurt. It was at that time that he started work in the crèche.
On a personal note, I recognise from my own acquaintance a number of people who believe that kindness and gentleness are signs of weakness, something to be laughed at and taken advantage of. I find this type of thinking more common, especially among those under the age of 30. It is chilling to encounter. Also note the empathy on the part of many governments and ‘experts’ who are more empathetic towards addicts, cheats and criminals than they are to sober, law-abiding, self-reliant taxpayers. We are all being influenced — through schools and the media — to accept sin and aberration as normal and to view the normal as somehow deficient or repressive. This chapter helps to explain why.
But, it’s also worth noting how Marx’s thinking has helped to shape postmodern society, with its moral and intellectual relativism: think and do what you like — there are no absolute truths. I know a number of clergy and lay pastors who agree!
Although this chapter begins on page 65, the following excerpts come from pages 68 – 73 of the book, available for free on Scribd. Subheads are as in the original, text emphases are mine.
Chapter Eight – Angels of Light
Public black masses are rare today, but Stefan Zweig in his biography of Fouché describes one held in Lyon during the French Revolution.
A revolutionary, Chaber, had been killed, and the black mass was celebrated in his honor. On that day crucifixes were torn from all the altars and priestly robes were confiscated. A huge crowd of men carrying a bust of the revolutionary descended on the marketplace. Three proconsuls were there to honor Chaber, “the God-Savior who died for the people.”
The crowd carried chalices, holy images, and utensils used in the mass. Behind them was an ass wearing a bishops mitre on its head. A crucifix and a Bible had been tied to its tail …
The Russian magazine Iunii Kommunist describes in detail a Satanist mass in which bread and wine, mixed with dung and tears taken from operating on the eyes of a living cock, are “transubstantiated” into the alleged body and blood of Lucifer …
The Communist magazine continues:
In this devilish antiworld, which externally is completely like ours, man must reply with evil to every success in life.
Then it brazenly affirms the following as the slogan of Satanism: “Satan is not the foe of man. He is Life, Love, Light.”
This insidious material is presented in a subtle manner as if to provide information, but its real aim is to arouse the reader’s morbid curiosity, with ravaging effects …
During the initiation ceremony for the third degree in the Satanist church, the initiate has to take the oath, “I will always do only what I will.” In other words, there is no authority beyond the polluted self. This is an open denial of Gods commandment, “… seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, afterwhich you used to go a whoring” (Numbers 15:39)
Marxists appeal to the basest passions, stirring up envy toward the rich and violence toward everyone. “It is the evil side which makes history,” wrote Marx, and he played a major role in shaping history.
Revolutions do not cause love to triumph. Rather, killing becomes a mania. In the Russian and Chinese revolutions, after the Communists had murdered tens of millions of innocents, they could not stop murdering and brutally killed one another.
Is everything permitted?
The Satanist cult is very old, older than Christianity. The prophet Isaiah might have had it in view when he wrote, “We have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him (the Savior) the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
True religious feeling is at the opposite pole. Certain Hassidic rabbis never said “I,” because they considered it a pronoun that belonged only to God. His will is binding on human behavior.
By contrast, when a man or woman is initiated into the seventh degree of Satanism, he swears that his principle will be, “Nothing is true, and everything is permitted.” When Marx filled out a quiz game for his daughter, he answered the question “Which is your favorite principle?” with the words, “Doubt every thing.”
Marx wrote in The Communist Manifesto that his aim was the abolition not only of all religions, but also of all morals, which would make everything permissible.
It was with a sense of horror that I read the mystery of the seventh degree of Satanism inscribed on a poster at the University of Paris during the 1968 riots. It had been simplified to the formula, “It is forbidden to forbid,” which is the natural consequence of “Nothing is true, and everything is permissible.”
The youth obviously did not realize the stupidity of the formula. If it is forbidden to forbid, it must also be forbidden to forbid forbidding. If everything is permissible, forbidding is permissible, too.
Young people think that permissiveness means liberty. Marxists know better. To them, the formula means that it is forbidden to forbid cruel dictatorships like those in Red China and the Soviet Union.
Dostoyevski had said it already: “If there is no God, everything is permitted.” If there is no God, our instincts are free. The ultimate expression of this kind of liberty is hatred. Whoever is free in this sense considers loving-kindness a weakness of the spirit.
Engels said, “Generalized love of men is absurdity.” The anarchist thinker Max Stirner, author of The I and I is Property and one of Marx’s friends, wrote, “I am legitimately authorized to do everything I am capable of.”
Communism is collective demon-possession. Solzhenitsyn in The Gulag Archipelago reveals some of its horrid a results in the souls a[n]d lives of people.
The Mythical Marx
Let me say again that I am conscious that the evidence I have given to date may be considered circumstantial. But what I have written is enough to show that what Marxists say about Karl Marx is a myth. He is not prompted by concern for the poverty of his fellowmen, for which revolution was the only solution. He did not love the proletariat, but called them “nuts,” “stupid,” “asses,” “rascals,” even obscenities. He did not even love his comrades in the fight for communism. He called Freiligrath “the swine,” Lassalle “Jewish n—er,” Bakunin “a theoretical zero.”
A Lieutenant Tchekhov, a fighter in the revolution of 1848 who spent nights drinking with Marx, commented that Marx’s narcissism had devoured everything good that had been in him.
Marx certainly did not love mankind. Giuseppe Mazzini, who knew him well, wrote that he had “a destructive spirit. His heart bursts with hatred rather than with love toward men.”
Mazzini was himself a “Carbonari.” This organization, founded in 1815 by Maghella, a Genoan Freemason, declared its “final aim to be that of Voltaire and of the French Revolution – the complete annihilation of Catholicism and ultimately of Christianity.” It began as an Italian operation, but subsequently developed a broader European orientation.
Though Mazzini was critical of Marx, he maintained his friendship with him. The Jewish Encyclopedia says that Mazzini and Marx were entrusted with the task of preparing the address and the constitution of the First International. This means that they were birds of the same feather, though they sometimes pecked at each other.
I know of no testimonies from Marx’s contemporaries that contradict Mazzini’s evaluation. Marx the loving man is a myth constructed only after his death …
Marx did not hate religion because it stood in the way of the happiness of mankind. On the contrary, he simply wanted to make mankind unhappy in this world and throughout eternity. He proclaimed this as his ideal. His avowed aim was the destruction of religion. Socialism, concern for the proletariat, humanism these were only pretexts.
After Marx had read The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, he wrote a letter to Lassalle in which he exults that God– in the natural sciences at least– had been given “the death blow.” What idea, then, preempted all others in Marx’s mind? Was it the plight of the poor proletariat? If so, of what possible value was Darwin’s theory? The only tenable conclusion is that Marx’s chief aim was the destruction of religion.
The good of the workers was only a pretense. Where proletarians do not fight for Socialist ideals, Marxists will exploit racial differences or the so-called generation gap. The main thing is, religion must be destroyed.
Marx believed in hell. And his program, the driving force in his life, was to send men to hell.
Robin Goodfellow
Marx wrote,
In the signs that bewilder the middle class, the aristocracy, a[n]d the prophets of regression, we recognize our brave friend, Robin Goodfellow, the old mole that can work in the earth so fast – the revolution.
Scholars who have read this apparently never looked into the identity of this Robin Goodfellow, Marx’s brave friend, the worker for revolution.
The sixteenth-century evangelist William Tyndale used Robin Goodfellow as a name for the Devil. Shakespeare in his Midsummer Night’s Dream called him “the knavish spirit that misleads night wanderers, laughing at their harm.”
Thus, according to Marx, considered the father of communism, a demon was the author of the Communist revolution and was his personal friend.
Lenin’s Tomb
In his revelation to St. John, Jesus said something very mysterious to the church in Pergamos (a city in Asia Minor): “I know … where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is” (Revelation 2:13). Pergamos was apparently a center of the Satanist cult in that period. Now the world-famous Baedecker tourist guidebooks for Berlin state that the Island Museum contained the Pergamos altar of Zeus until 1944. German archaeologists had excavated it, and it had been in the center of the Nazi capital during Hitler’sSatanist regime.
But the saga of the seat of Satan is not yet over. Svenska Dagbladet (Stockholm) for January 27, 1948 reveals that:
1. The Soviet army, after the conquest of Berlin, carried off the Pergamos altar from Germany to Moscow. This tremendous structure measures 127 feet long by 120 feet wide by forty feet high.
Surprisingly, the altar has not been exhibited in any Soviet museum …
We have already indicated that men in the top echelons of the Soviet hierarchy practiced Satanist rituals. Did they reserve the Pergamos altar for their private use? There are many unanswered questions. Suffice it to say that objects of such high archaeological value usually do not disappear, but are the pride of museums.
2. The architect, Stjusev, who built Lenin’s mausoleum, used this altar of Satan as a model for the mausoleum in 1924.
Many visitors wait in line every day to visit this sanctuary of Satan in which Lenin’s mummy lies in state. Religious leaders of the whole world pay their homage to the Marxist “patron saint” in this monument erected to Satan.
The Satanist temple at Pergamos was only one of the many of its kind. Why did Jesus single it out? Probably not because of the minor role it played at that time. Rather, His words were prophetic. He spoke about nazism and communism, through which this altar would be honored.
It is worth noting with irony that on the grave of Lenin’s father there stood a cross with the inscription “The light of Christ illuminates all” and a multitude of Bible verses.
Tomorrow: Chapter Nine – Whom Will We Serve?
After the terrible judgments and the Final Judgment, our examination of the Book of Revelation brings us to a glorious close with St John’s divinely inspired vision of the New Jerusalem.
The verses below are not part of any three-year Lectionary reading, which qualifies them for my ongoing Forbidden Bible Verses, equally essential to our understanding of the Holy Bible.
Today’s reading is from the King James Version. Commentary is from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible.
After you read this entry, please conclude with Revelation 22, a post from 2009.
8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
9And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
11Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
17And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
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Last week, we read in Revelation 20 that unbelievers were condemned to a second death (Revelation 20:6 and 20:14) in the ‘lake of fire’. We see reference to this in verse 8.
As I have mentioned many times before, certain sins are deadly. Some people think this is an exaggeration (‘I doubt I’m gonna be dropping dead right now’), but if we die today unrepentant from them, we shall surely lose the sight of God.
In verse 8, ‘fearful’ refers to those who are cowardly and prefer to follow man rather than Christ: it’s a seemingly ‘safer’, easier option. ‘Go along to get along’ describes this perfectly.
Unbelievers are also included. They think they are exempt from judgment, when nothing could be further from the truth. They will die in their manmade folly.
This verse recalls several others from the New Testament, including words from Jesus Himself, on what constitutes deadly sin. Don’t be deceived by false teachers who present themselves as Christians and ignore the following verses. I saw a number of online essays from several charlatans when I was researching this post — plenty of them abound.
Therefore, please note the following — I emphasise these for our mutual benefit as I was unaware of them until recently (emphases mine throughout):
- Mark 7:20-23 :
20And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
- Romans 1:26-27 and 1:32:
26For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error … 32Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and later in verses 17 through 20:
9 Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, 10 Nor the effeminate, nor liers with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God …
17 But he who is joined to the Lord, is one spirit. 18 Fly fornication. Every sin that a man doth, is without the body; but he that committeth fornication, sinneth against his own body. 19 Or know you not, that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom you have from God; and you are not your own ? 20 For you are bought with a great price. Glorify and bear God in your body.
- 1 Timothy 1:8-11:
8But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
9Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
11According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
- Jude 1:7:
7 The people of Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns around them also did evil things. They gave themselves over to sexual sins. They committed sins of the worst possible kind. They are an example of those who are punished with fire. The fire never goes out.
Now, onto the glorious vision granted to St John of Christ’s bride, the Church, beginning in verse 9. One of the angels of the seven vials (censers, bowls) described in Revelation 16, shows the apostle Her incredible beauty in the world to come.
The angel takes John to a mountain top for a full view of Her majesty (verse 10). Note the light and clarity described in verse 11. Matthew Henry explains:
… the bride comely through the comeliness put on her by her husband; glorious in her relation to Christ, in his image now perfected in her, and in his favour shining upon her. And now we have a large description of the church triumphant under the emblem of a city …
This New Jerusalem has a wall around it (verse 12), yet it has gates — each guarded by an angel. There is one gate for every tribe of Israel. Henry writes:
[1.] Their number-twelve gates, answering to the twelve tribes of Israel. All the true Israel of God shall have entrance into the new Jerusalem, as every tribe had into the earthly Jerusalem. [2.] Their guards which were placed upon them-twelve angels, to admit and receive the several tribes of the spiritual Israel and keep out others. [3.] The inscription on the gates-the names of the twelve tribes, to show that they have a right to the tree of life, and to enter through the gates into the city.
The gates face the four principal directions — north, south, east and west (verse 13). This means that this heavenly city welcomes the sanctified from the four corners of the globe — people from all nations and languages will share in Christ’s glory and in His perfect Church.
This city wall has 12 foundations — one named after each of Christ’s apostles (verse 14):
whose gospel doctrines are the foundations upon which the church is built, Christ himself being the chief corner-stone; and, as to the matter of these foundations, it was various and precious, set forth by twelve sorts of precious stones, denoting the variety and excellency of the doctrines of the gospel, or of the graces of the Holy Spirit, or the personal excellencies of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The angel has a golden reed with which he can measure the perfect dimensions of this city (verses 15-17). Henry puts the immense size into perspective for us:
Twelve thousand furlongs each way, each side, which is forty-eight thousand furlongs in the whole compass, or fifteen hundred German miles. Here is room sufficient for all the people of God-many mansions in their Father’s house.
We learn of the building materials beginning in verse 18. Jasper is used to describe strength yet lustre. Therefore, not only will it be strong but beautiful. Verses 18 and 21 each mention ‘pure gold’ such that it is like ‘clear’ or ‘transparent glass’. If you, like I, find that hard to comprehend, we should! How is it possible to conceive of a city more beautiful than any that man could have constructed? It isn’t.
We read more about the foundations in verses 19 and 20. How beautiful, radiant, lustrous these precious stones are: each layer is comprised of another precious gemstone! Imagine being surrounded by such beauty for all eternity — incomprehensible and wondrous.
Verse 21 describes gates of pearl — hence the ‘pearly gates’ of popular parlance! Henry explains:
The materials of these gates-they were all of pearls, and yet with great variety: Every gate one pearl, either one single pearl of that vast bigness, or one single sort of pearl. Christ is the pearl of great price, and he is our way to God. There is nothing magnificent enough in this world fully to set forth the glory of heaven. Could we, in the glass of a strong imagination, contemplate such a city as is here described, even as to the exterior part of it, such a wall, and such gates, how amazing, how glorious, would the prospect be! And yet this is but a faint and dim representation of what heaven is in itself.
And there we conclude the Churchmouse Campanologist posts on the Book of Revelation.
Don’t forget Revelation 22 — it has some important instructions for all of us!
We continue our study of the Book of Revelation with Revelation 20, which is excluded from the three-year Lectionary.
As such, it is part of the ongoing Forbidden Bible Verses, also essential for our understanding of Scripture and God’s plan for His people.
Today’s reading is taken from the King James Version. Exegetical sources are given at the end of the post.
1And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
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If you have been following this series, you will have noticed that I have relied on a Lutheran pastor’s writings for much of my exegesis of Revelation.
The Revd Thomas C Messer, of Peace Lutheran Church in Alma, Michigan, has studied the Book of Revelation closely, written about it and given a course on it to his congregation. For today’s post, I shall be using not only his notes on the whole of Revelation 20 but also a lengthy paper which examines verses 1 – 6 in greater detail. Pastor Messer has one of the best examinations of amillenialism online — in fact, it might be the only one in a sea of dispensationalist interpretations of this great and final book of the canon.
Those who believe in a literal translation say that Revelation 20 is a chronological follow-on from Revelation 19. However, Pr Messer and other mainline Protestant and Catholic scholars posit that Revelation 20 is an overall view of Satan between Jesus’s life on Earth and His Second Coming. Pr Messer explains (emphases mine throughout):
Chapter 20 is not a continuation of 19, but rather shows another depiction of Satan’s doom (the two beasts were manifestations of Satan and thus, when they’re thrown into the lake of fire, it is Satan who is thrown in). Thus, when we get to 20:1, we are beginning with the casting out of Satan from heaven (Rev. 12), which is depicted as being bound and thrown into the Abyss. Then, we get a look at the entire NT era, in which the saints rule with Christ for “1000 years.” Then, we see Satan’s release (short season) just before the Parousia and, finally, his ultimate judgment (thrown into lake of fire). Thus, what we see in Chapter 20 is a picture from the crucifixion to the Second Coming.
The angel in verse 1 is Christ Jesus, recalling Revelation 5:5, wherein only He had the authority to open the scroll with the seven seals. Pr Messer writes:
First, this Angel has the key to the Abyss, which is the same thing as having the key to death and hades (1:18), which Christ says of Himself. Also, Christ has the power and authority to bind Satan. He speaks of binding Satan in Matt. 12:25-29, where He binds the “strong man.” Confer also, John 12:31, where Christ speaks of the “ruler of this world” being cast out as a result of His ministry and crucifixion.
The binding of Satan in verse 2 began with Jesus’s ministry on Earth and achieved completion at His death and resurrection. This binding does not mean that Satan’s powers are null and void but that he no longer can confer directly with God to cast aspersions on people as he does in the Book of Job. Recall that Revelation 12 describes St Michael the Archangel throwing Satan and his angels out of Heaven. Here, among saints and sinners alike, Satan does his work against his foe Christ Jesus and His bride, the Church. Satan cannot prevent the spread of the Gospel. Pr Messer describes him like this:
He is like a chained dog, who will bite you if you come into his sphere, but cannot harm you as long as you stay out of reach. Since Christ’s crucifixion, “one little word can fell” Satan. He is judged and cannot harm us, unless we fall under his sphere of influence by entering his world of evil. We have a beautiful and comforting picture of the extent to which Christ’s work has bound Satan in this passage.
Before Christ comes again, Satan must be ‘loosed a little season’, for reasons best known only to God. During this time, he will be able to prevent the spread of the Gospel, which will result in great apostasy. He will manifest his power through the End Time Antichrist for a final assault on the Church. It is, therefore, unsurprising that many believers think we might be in the last throes of the world right now. How many of our churches preach and teach Holy Scripture? How many Christians are true to Christ?
The ‘thousand years’ in verse 3 pose a problem for many. Are they literal or in line with the traditions of Messianic literature, therefore, meant to be interpreted as symbolic of completion? As we saw in Revelation 7, numbers in this tradition signify perfection and/or completion. Therefore, these thousand years should be interpreted in the same manner and not taken literally.
In verse 4, St John is given a divine vision of the saints in Heaven, those who suffered in Christ’s name and did not bear the spiritual mark of the beast. The thousand-year reign also refers to the whole of the New Testament era, regardless of its length.
So, how do we understand verse 5, which speaks of a later time and the first resurrection? Pr Messer tells us:
First resurrection = conversion (not a reference to a physical resurrection) (cf. John 5); Second resurrection = bodily resurrection of all people on the Last Day.
and further to this in verse 6, which mentions a second death with no power:
First death = original sin (according to some) or physical death (according to most); Second death = eternal death. Everyone is born spiritually dead, but those who are brought to faith through the Gospel by the Holy Spirit, are born again from above and made alive in Christ. For these, the “second death” has no power over them. The second death is total separation from God and includes everlasting punishment. It is much, much worse than the first death, for people live under God’s providential care while on this earth. But, if they die in unbelief, they will experience complete death. They will be raised on the Last Day and see what true life is, but they will not be permitted to experience it. They will be cast into Hell bodily forever.
We see reference to the second death again in verse 14, confirming the everlasting judgment of the ‘lake of fire’ for unbelievers.
I realise that this is alarming for some passers-by to read. This is why it is essential to ensure we have our souls in order at all times. We do not know when Christ will return. It could be soon or it could be long after our deaths. This makes the prospect of our own death an even more urgent matter. Would we be ready to pass from this mortal coil today and face our Saviour? Have we done a personal housecleaning and taken an inventory of the state of our own hearts and souls? Something to think about!
Verse 7 reiterates verse 3 regarding Satan’s ‘little season’, which will be infinitesmal by comparison with the New Testament era, yet will be long enough to cause real suffering to believers around the world as he is unleashed to ‘deceive the nations’ one final time.
Again, this will be a battle of persecution and belief. True Christians will suffer physically or psychologically during this terrible time. However, although Gog and Magog are mentioned in verse 8, this will not be an actual warlike battle. Pr Messer writes:
“Gog and Magog” are not literal nations! They represent all the pagan nations of the earth that Satan will raise up in opposition against the Church (cf. Ezek. 38 and 39, where “Gog and Magog” represent the archenemies of Israel). What we have depicted here is another picture of the battle of Armageddon (cf. Rev. 16:16), in which Satan gathers his army for the final assault on Christ’s Church.
And (see PDF pages 38 – 40) of verses 8 – 10:
Satan’s “little season” will not be a literal, physical battle between the forces of evil and the church of Christ. Revelation makes it very clear throughout that Satan has already been completely defeated by the Lamb who was slain. Christ and His saints need not engage in physical warfare with the devil, for Christ has already won total victory through His
physical death on the cross …
What Daniel prophe[s]ies about here is the Antichrist, the End-Time opponent of Christ, who will appear for a “little season” (“time, times, and half a time”) shortly before the Second Coming of Christ. That this is related to Satan’s “little season” is made even more clear in Dan. 8:23-27 …
We also have further OT evidence that helps us to understand Satan’s “little season.” Ezekiel 38-39, especially 38:18-23, describes “Gog” coming against “the land of Israel.” The context of those chapters shows that this “Gog” refers to the End-Time opponent of Christ, who makes war on the church for a “little season” during the “last days.” This is the very language that John uses in Rev. 20:8, showing the continuity between the accounts …
2 Thessalonians 2 provides the clearest picture of the nature of this End-Time opponent … Like Dan. 8 above, his power is not his own, but he comes “by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders” (v. 9) … This passage ends with perhaps the greatest indication as to why God must allow Satan’s “little season,” for it is to send them (unbelievers) “a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (vv. 11-12). This is all that God reveals to us as to why this is necessary and to speculate any further is futile, as stated above. That the activity of this “man of lawlessness” is synonymous with Satan’s “little season” is made clear by the text when it notes that when the “lawless one will be revealed, the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming” (v. 8 ). In sum, this “man of lawlessness” is the Antichrist, the End-Time opponent of Christ, through whom the activity of Satan is manifest in order to deceive the nations for a “little season.”
So, in verse 10 — Satan (the Devil, the dragon of Revelation 12) along with his blasphemous manifestations in the beast (the false Christ) and the false prophet (the false Holy Spirit) meet their eternal punishment of fire and brimstone.
Verses 11 – 15 show us the Final Judgment. On that fateful Last Day, everyone — believers and unbelievers — will appear before that ‘great white throne’. Agnostics and atheists absolve themselves from this final judgment. To say they will be surprised and shocked to find out otherwise is an understatement.
Many Christians — not just children — have difficulty understanding what happens between our deaths and the Final Judgment. Pr Messer explains this clearly — and this is something you can pass on to the young ones in your family:
All people will appear before Christ on that great and dreadful Day. Those who have died will be resurrected, both unbelievers and believers. Their spirits, which have been residing in either heaven or hell, will be reunited with the bodies they had while living on earth. Those who are living will appear in their bodies before the throne of Christ. Believers have the promise that their resurrected bodies (or “changed” bodies, if they are alive when Christ returns) will be glorified and perfect (cf. 1 Cor. 15 – The Great Resurrection Chapter). Unbelievers will go into eternity in their corruptible bodies.
That ‘there was found no place for them’ means that our universe will have been transformed to reveal Christ to everyone, no matter where they are. That day will be so awe-inspiring and fearsome for unbelievers and indescribably joyful for the faithful. If this isn’t an image with which to conjure over the coming weeks, particularly as we head towards Lent, I don’t know what is.
Verses 12 and 13 describe us all standing before God, the great books in front of Him. He will judge unbelievers by the sins they have committed — their works against Him — all of which will have been documented. ‘Another’ book will contain what we hope are our names inscribed therein — the Book of Life.
Note that verse 14 again mentions ‘the second death’ of verse 6. This second death is everlasting punishment and torment for unbelievers, including a separation from God which has no end. Those who deny God have not truly thought this through. If they have an ounce of interest or curiosity in the Word, may they pray: ‘Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief’ (Mark 9:24).
For some of us, verse 13 may confuse the question of faith versus works. Pr Messer tells us:
It is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, that we are declared righteous (cf. Rom. 3:28). We cannot merit this grace by our works. But, the Final Judgment is based on works. It is not merely arbitrary. There will be no cause for complaint or appeal, for it will be shown to all what each person has done. Believers, since they are clothed in the righteousness of Christ and forgiven of all sins, have no bad works to be put on display. Only the good work that they have done, or rather that Christ has done through them, will be revealed. Unbelievers, on the other hand, have absolutely no good works. Even the most civilly decent among them, those who may have accomplished many wonderful and charitable works while living on earth, have no good works, for all their works are tainted with sin. Thus, they only have bad works put on display on that Day. So, in the end, the Final Judgment is actually based on whether or not people believed in Jesus Christ, since their works are completely dependent upon that.
It is difficult to imagine what this day will be like. Because we cannot fully comprehend the nature of God or His Son, this, too, is equally difficult to understand. For unbelievers (verse 15), it is the beginning of a never-ending death sentence.
However, for those whose names are written in the Book of Life, this will be the beginning of a glorious eternity, where we reign with Him in unending joy and true happiness.
Next week: Revelation 21:8-21
Further reading:
‘Living and Reigning with Christ’ – The Revd Thomas C Messer (LCMS)
We continue our examination of the Book of Revelation today with selected verses from Revelation 19.
Verses 1 and 4 – 9 are read from the three-year Lectionary at Easter in Year C (e.g. in 2010). The bulk of the chapter below is excluded, making it part of the ongoing Churchmouse Campanologist series, Forbidden Bible Verses, also essential to our understanding of the Holy Bible.
Today’s reading is taken from the King James Version. Exegetical sources can be found at the end of the post.
2For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
3And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
…
10And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
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At the end of Revelation 18, the great city of Babylon — hotbed of sin and heresy – came to a dramatic end. Divine judgment had avenged the blood of the saints and martyrs.
Again, for occasional readers of the Revelation posts: this New Testament book is written largely in the style of Jewish Messianic literature of powerful imagery recalling Old Testament prophecies, e.g. Ezekiel. Much of the imagery is symbolic and is not intended to be interpreted literally. However, what we are called to learn from this book is the almighty omnipotence of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.
Many mainstream Protestant and Catholic clergy ordained over the past 30 years profoundly miss the fact that the imagery is drawn from Messianic literature. Last year, I heard an Anglican priest say, ‘Personally, I wouldn’t have described God like that — which I why I don’t like Revelation’. Several years ago a Catholic priest told me, ‘Don’t worry about reading Revelation. It’s an acquired taste. You can get along quite happily without it.’
Yet, we should be reading it to understand not only Christ’s warning to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 but because Revelation 1:3 tells us:
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
When Revelation 19 opens, heaven is full of praise for God, who has avenged their enemies which the saints and martyrs pleaded for in Revelation 6:9-11. They proclaim that His judgments are ‘true and righteous’ (verses 2 and 3) and express their gratitude for what He has done in destroying Babylon.
The ‘fornication’ mentioned in verse 2 may be not only of a sexual kind, but also that of what Christ Jesus occasionally referred to in a figurative sense of adultery: a love affair with sin, therefore, an unfaithfulness to God (Matthew 16:4, Revelation 2:22).
The smoke rising in verse 3 refers to the world of sin burning for all eternity.
Verses 4 – 9 continue with joyous and thunderous praise for God. The saints announce that the time has come for the marriage celebration of Christ and His bride, the Church — the culmination of the Last Days (from the first Pentecost to His Second Coming). Some Bible scholars believe that conversion of the Jewish people will occur at this time, after the fall of Babylon. In verse 9, the angel whose voice was heard in verse 5 instructs St John to record the vision he is about to receive.
One can imagine the awe St John experienced during this revelation. He instinctively falls to worship the angel (verse 10). However, the angel rebukes him saying that he, too, is a servant of God. The angel directs John’s attention towards the worship of God. Furthermore, he indicates that Christ Jesus is the One who fulfils all Old Testament prophecy.
We now enter into more imagery of Messianic literature. In verse 11, Heaven opens and Christ appears on a white horse. He is about to judge Satan and the unbelievers. The Revd Thomas C Messer, of Peace Lutheran Church in Alma, Michigan, explains:
This is a spiritual battle, which has already been won by Christ. On the Last Day, when Christ returns, the victory He has already won will be seen by all, and the judgment already pronounced upon all of His enemies will be carried out in full.
The powerful imagery of Our Lord is further described in verses 12 – 14. From them we can interpret that He sees everything, He truly is Christ the King and no man can fully comprehend His true nature. His armour (‘vesture’) has blood on it. By His own blood He became our only Mediator and Advocate with the Father. He also bears the blood of those who died in His Name. His army is one of purity, saints clothed in immaculately white linen — free from the stain of sin.
Christ’s sword of verse 15 recalls His letter to the church in Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17). He says:
12“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. (Revelation 2:12)
and warns:
16Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. (Revelation 2:16)
This is His (figurative) sword of judgment. He has seen all the sins committed, and He will come to judge evildoers and exert His rule over them. The winepress in that verse recalls Revelation 14:19-20:
19And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
The winepress is the place of eternal torment.
Our Lord comes in full majesty, with His title written on his armour and thigh (verse 16): ‘King of Kings, and Lord of Lords’. Recall the significance of spiritual marks in the Book of Revelation: sealing the faithful on their foreheads (Revelation 7:3) and the ‘mark of the beast’ on the right hands or foreheads of those who follow Satan (Revelation 13:16-17).
In verses 17 and 18, an angel invites the birds of prey to feast on the flesh of sinners, who represent evildoers from every social class around the world. This invitation recalls Ezekiel 39:17-20, wherein God instructs Ezekiel to call birds and beasts to consume the sacrifice of the hordes of Gog. Faithful Christians will escape this almighty judgment.
And yet, unbelievers are arrogant in their unrepentance (verse 19). They prepare to do battle against Christ and His saints. Pastor Messer says:
They will wage war, led by Satan, against Christ by attacking His Church throughout the NT era, most intensely during Satan’s “little season” before the End, which is what is in view here (the symbolic battle of Armageddon).
However, verse 20 shows us that the blasphemous beast (Satan as the the first beast representing the false Christ) and the equally blasphemous false prophet (the second beast, representing the false Holy Spirit) of Revelation 13 meet their end through fire and brimstone. Brimstone is an archaic name for sulphur, which, as we know, has a suffocatingly horrible odour.
Pr Messer calls to our attention the fact that nowhere do we have mention of this final battle actually taking place. The two beasts — representations of Satan — quickly meet their eternal sentence, alive, to burn forevermore.
Also note the mention of the deception of man through the blasphemous beasts. This is another clear sign that Satan is all about falsehood: he appears as sweetness and light to us, smiling, charming, clean, presentable. Don’t fall for it! Not everything that glisters is gold! Be discerning and exercise good judgment in your relationships, whether they be personal, professional or ecclesiastical. There might be times when you need to walk away from a friendship, a family tie, an employer or a church. Don’t be afraid to do so. Always follow Christ.
In verse 21, we read that the ‘remnant’ — in this case, the final sinners alive on Earth — meets their fate, their flesh consumed by birds of prey. The 17th century Bible scholar and Calvinist minister Matthew Henry warns us:
Though the divine vengeance will chiefly fall upon the beast, and the false prophet, yet it will be no excuse to those who fight under their banner that they only followed their leaders and obeyed their command; since they would fight for them, they must fall and perish with them. Be wise now therefore, O you kings, be instructed, you rulers of the earth; kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish from the way, Ps. 2:10, 12.
Next week: Revelation 20
Further reading:
‘Revelation – Chapter 19 Notes’ – The Revd Thomas C Messer (LCMS)
Today’s post continues our examination of the Book of Revelation with Revelation 18.
Most of this final book of the canon has been excluded from the three-year Lectionary, which qualifies it for the Forbidden Bible Verses, equally essential to our understanding of Scripture.
Today’s reading is from the King James Version. Exegetical sources are given at the end of the post.
1And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
5For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
6Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
7How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
8Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
9And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
11And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
12The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
13And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
14And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
15The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
17For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
18And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
19And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
20Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
22And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
23And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
24And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
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Revelation 17 and 18 describe the judgment of Satan’s followers at the end of the world. Last week, we read what will happen to the ‘great whore’ of Babylon (Revelation 17:1). Today, we discover what will happen to Babylon when it falls.
Babylon is Satan’s kingdom, which consists of him, his demons and all unbelievers. It also includes churches which claim to be Christian but preach a false gospel, some of the devil’s finest work.
Historically, St John was in exile on the Greek island of Patmos when he received these divine revelations in 95 AD. The ‘I’ in the first verse, therefore, refers to him.
In verse 1, the other angel ‘having great power’ is Christ Jesus. Recall the ‘mighty angel’ who gave St John the scroll to eat in Revelation 10. Note that when He arrives, His glory immediately lightens the Earth, not only in a physical sense but as a light of truth, assuaging and relieving the world of its sorrows and trials.
Verse 2 reminds us of Satan’s presence in the world, which shall be very great indeed when the final judgment occurs. The 17th century Bible commentator Matthew Henry notes the fulfilment of the prediction of the fall of Babylon in Isaiah 21:9.
In Revelation 17:1, we read that the ‘great whore’ sat ‘upon many waters’. Revelation 18:3 recalls her widespread influence around the world: ‘the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her’. Several passages in the New Testament discuss sinners as committing adultery, not only in the sexual sense, but also in the sense of revelling in sin — turning against God. Christ uses this term in Matthew 16:4 when asked for a ‘sign’ and in Revelation 2:22 in His letter to the church of Thyatira.
Verse 3 also indicates the fortune and vested interests in maintaining Babylon. Power for rulers and riches for merchants were to be had throughout history, including the present day.
The voice from heaven in verse 4 is again our Lord’s. Note the use of ‘my people’ in the exhortation. This verse is widely quoted by faithful Christians concerned for their churches and denominations. There are times and situations when we must leave them if they turn apostate and worldly. Otherwise, we fall prey to false teaching, which Christ will surely condemn, as we see in this chapter. Although God forgives the sins of people who renounce evil, He remembers the sins of mockers and the unrepentant (verse 5), on whom will fall His holy judgment.
Of verse 6, the Revd Thomas C Messer, of Peace Lutheran Church in Alma, Michigan, who has studied the Book of Revelation and given his congregation a series of lectures on it, explains:
He does, and will, remember the sins of the impenitent and unbelieving. In the same way, believers in Christ receive a never-ending flow of grace (“grace upon grace”, i.e. “double grace”), while unbelievers who belong to the kingdom of Babylon will receive “double for her deeds.” The wicked will be judged completely and fully for their deeds, paying for their sins for all of eternity in Hell.
Similarly, Matthew Henry asserts:
Fair warning is given to all that expect mercy from God, that they should not only come out of her, but be assisting in her destruction, v. 4, 5. Here observe, (1.) God may have a people even in Babylon, some who belong to the election of grace. (2.) God’s people shall be called out of Babylon, and called effectually. (3.) Those that are resolved to partake with wicked men in their sins must receive of their plagues. (4.) When the sins of a people reach up to heaven, the wrath of God will reach down to the earth. (5.) Though private revenge is forbidden, yet God will have his people act under him, when called to it, in pulling down his and their inveterate and implacable enemies, v. 6. (6.) God will proportion the punishment of sinners to the measure of their wickedness, pride, and security, v. 7. (7.) When destruction comes on a people suddenly, the surprise is a great aggravation of their misery, v. 8.
Note how Babylon expects to go on forever: she sees no forthcoming judgment (verse 7). She has companionship with the world’s wicked. Yet, our Lord assures us that judgment is assured and instantaneous on the Last Day. That judgment shall come with destructive plagues and fire (verse 8). Those who committed and revelled in grievous sin — ‘adulterers’ through their offenses against God — shall watch her ultimate destruction (verses 9 and 10). The next two chapters of Revelation will delve further into the eternal ‘lake of fire’ for unbelievers!
Furthermore, all who made money from sin and iniquity will end up in tears: their market for baubles, bling, luxury items, exotic animals and human degradation will come to a sudden stop, forever (verses 11 – 19). This is why it is important not to get bound up in too many priceless possessions. It is also a heinous sin to treat human beings as slaves or chattel (verse 13). This can be through servitude, prostitution or abuse of a family member.
However, another reason these merchants of sin are crying is that they fear their own judgment, which is sure to follow when Babylon falls. By then, it will be too late for them to repent. The Lord is merciful. He extends to us every opportunity in this life to turn towards Him. Of course, we know that not all will heed His call; sin is much more exciting and pleasurable.
Verse 20 recalls the plea of the saints for holy vengeance (Revelation 6:9-11). Now, Christ Jesus announces that He has accomplished this:
Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
Babylon comes to a dramatic end (verse 21), with ‘a mighty angel’ throwing a great stone upon the sea, resulting in sudden destruction. The city humming with rampant sin and iniquitous industry falls silent (verses 22 and 23). Note the mention of deception in verse 23. We should heed this as a warning. The pleasure we derive is temporal and temporary.
Verse 24 refers to God’s holy and faithful, the saints and prophets whom Babylon destroyed. Now, however, she has been avenged in their name and is no more.
Next week: selected verses from Revelation 19
Further reading:
‘Revelation – Chapter 18 Notes’ – The Revd Thomas C Messer (LCMS)
We continue our examination of the Book of Revelation, most of which is absent from the standard three-year Lectionary. Few pastors wish to preach or teach about it, from Christ’s warning to the seven early churches to the end of the world. Yet, Revelation 1:3 tells us:
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Therefore, the Book of Revelation is part of the ongoing Churchmouse Campanologist series, Forbidden Bible Verses, which are equally essential to our understanding of the Bible.
Today’s reading comes from the King James Version. Exegetical sources can be found at the end of the post.
1And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
11And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
15And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
16And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
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In Revelation 16 we read of the plagues — judgments — of the seven angels and their seven vials upon the unbelievers of the earth. Yet, like Pharaoh, they cursed God instead of repenting of their sins.
With the other two series of seven judgments — the seals (Revelation 6, 7) and the trumpets (Revelation 10, 11) — we had an interval before the final judgment in each. These intervals were necessary in order for St John to understand the next part of the prophecy. However, all the vials were poured out without an intervening explanatory revelation.
Revelation 17 and 18 reveal how Satan and his minions will be judged at the end of the world. This is to show the saints (and us) that Christ will indeed avenge their blood, as they have requested (Revelation 6:9-11).
One of the seven angels who poured out his vial explains to St John what will happen to the ‘great whore’ (verse 1). She symbolises churches, kingdoms and civil governments that turn from God. Her ways are seductive, for they appeal to pleasure and power (verse 2). In St John’s time, she would have been linked with the Roman Empire. By Matthew Henry’s day (1662-1714), she would have symbolised a corrupt Roman Catholic Church. Today, we might find her anywhere in the world.
In verse 3, the angel calls John to an in-depth view of this whore. The beast on which she sits is the first beast described in Revelation 13:1, Satan’s blasphemous mimic of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The whore is dressed in Satan’s scarlet and looks gaudy (verse 4), which appeals to many people. Think of the seductive arrays of red worn today, accompanied by bling. The whore would fit in perfectly with our world. All the more reason to pay attention to this chapter and avoid her wiles. She represents the seduction that lures us away from God — spiritual, sexual, materialistic, power-driven.
The Revd Thomas C Messer, of Peace Lutheran Church in Alma, Michigan, who has studied the Book of Revelation and given his congregation a series of lectures on it, adds:
The best way to understand the Prostitute of Babylon is to contrast her with the Bride of Christ (the church). She represents all unbelief, just as the church represents all belief. All unbelievers are wed to the Prostitute, while all believers are wed to Christ. Her name, “Babylon the Great,” is contrasted with the New Jerusalem (Satan’s followers vs. the Church, made up of Christ’s followers).
Lately, I have run across online speculation on the identity of ‘Mystery Babylon’ (verse 5). We can waste a lot of valuable time on such matters, which God will reveal at the appropriate time. Until then, anyone advocating and practicing unbiblical activities (e.g. ‘don’t eat meat’, health ‘interventions’, nudging, eugenics, religious persecution, denying food to the hungry in the developing world or through European fish dumping, exalting immorality of any kind) is in thrall to Babylon.
In verse 6, St John receives a vision of the ‘woman’ — this same ‘whore’ — who has derived perverse thrills from the blood of Christ’s saints. Matthew Henry observes:
she was satiated, but never satisfied.
And such is the way of all sin.
When the verse says that St John — the ‘I’ — ‘wondered with great admiration’, it wasn’t a positive sentiment but more akin to incredulity. The angel picks up on this in verse 7, essentially saying, ‘Don’t find this surprising’. The angel will explain, yet verse 8 appears puzzling. Pr Messer interprets it for us (emphases mine):
Here is a reference to the “little season” Satan will have when he is unleashed before the End. The beast “was” – Before Christ came, Satan was allowed to stop the Gospel from going forth and to enter the heavenly throne room to accuse God’s children. We see the success he had throughout the OT Era as the Gospel was kept pretty much to the Israelites, and, even more, to the remnant within the Israelite nation which believed. The beast “is not” – When Christ died on the cross, He crushed the serpent’s (Satan’s) head, and when He rose from the tomb, He destroyed death and Hell forever. Satan was thus bound and no longer able to stop the Gospel and no longer had access to the heavenly throne room. Throughout the NT Era, the Gospel will be allowed to go throughout the world and Satan is powerless to stop it. We have seen the result of this, as there are Christians all over the globe … Satan will be unleashed for a short time before the End to “deceive the nations” once again (cf. Rev. 20). During this “little season,” Satan’s war against the Church will be intensified. He will infiltrate the Church with many false teachers and turn the multitudes away from the truth of the Gospel. But, all of this will be for naught, as the End is already written in stone. Satan and his entire kingdom will be defeated and will “go to destruction” in the End. The angel reveals all of this to St. John, and thus, to us, to warn us against that time to come, that we may remain steadfast in the Word and inherit the Kingdom prepared for us.
Therefore, we are not to despair but to recall these verses and know that God and His Son will vanquish evil and sin forever. The angel declares a similar admonition in verse 9: ‘And here is the mind that hath wisdom’. We are called to be discerning and level-headed.
In the second half of the verse and in verse 10, the angel appears to describe ancient Rome to St John, the Empire of his day. The ‘seven mountains’ — or hills — of that city indicate this. Matthew Henry explains the historical significance:
1.) Seven mountains-the seven hills on which Rome stands; and (2.) Seven kings-seven sorts of government. Rome was governed by kings, consuls, tribunes, decemviri, dictators, emperors who were pagan, and emperors who were Christian. Five of these were extinct when this prophecy was written; one was then in being, that is, the pagan emperor; and the other, that is, the Christian emperor, was yet to come, v. 10.
Yet, Pr Messer sees a contemporary interpretation of verses 10 – 13:
While this could have some historical reference, the deeper meaning here is figurative and refers to Satan’s activities through rulers in the world throughout history, not just specific Roman Emperors. The parallel between the beast who “was, is not, and will rise” cannot be overlooked. The “king” who “has not yet come” thus signifies the End-Time Antichrist through which Satan will “deceive the nations.” This is clear given the statement that this last “king must remain only a little while.” This is yet another reference to Satan’s “little season” before the End. Likewise, the “ten horns” refer to “ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.” Again, this is a symbolic reference to Satan’s “little season” when the rulers of the world will unite with him to make war with Christ’s Church. The numbers “seven” and “ten” here indicate that Satan’s “little season” will be “perfect” and “complete,” i.e., just as God has planned, so that He will be vindicated in the End and no one will be able to call Him unjust on Judgment Day.
Whilst it is disheartening to find that all these factions and nations will be aligning themselves with the beast, thereby opposing Christ and His Church, the Lamb of God will come in judgment to overcome them all (verse 14). The world looks increasingly dark and foreboding to many of us, understandably, but this is all the more reason to turn to prayer, Scripture and, where we can find it, worship that pleases God.
Unbelievers are under the impression that Christ has died — the Resurrection, incidentally, gets little explanation in British religious education courses. So, as far as most people are concerned, it’s history. They will be surprised, to say the least. However, the faithful — ‘they that are with him’ — will be not only saved but exalted to live with Him for eternity. As verse 14 states, He is not only the Lamb but also Lord of Lords, King of Kings.
In the last four verses (15 – 18), we see that the whore extends her seduction around the world. Many will be deceived. Then, infighting will occur and the same followers of the beast will turn on her, bringing about her destruction. All this will happen because God shall direct it. Just as he used oppressors in Old Testament (e.g. Pharaoh) to unwittingly accomplish His plan, so He will confound the evil of Satan and his followers.
So, do not fear. Be of good cheer, today and always.
Next week: Revelation 18
Further reading:
‘Revelation – Chapter 17 Notes’ – The Revd Thomas C Messer (LCMS)
