Revelation - week 8

9 Now when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered on acccount of the word of God and on account of the testimony they had given.
10 They cried out with a loud voice,

"How long, Sovereign Master, holy and true,
before you judge the ones living on the earth
and avenge our blood?"

11 Each of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached of both their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were destined to be killed just as they had been.

Last week we saw the contents of the first 4 seals of the Royal Decree that the Lamb began putting into effect. They were pretty bleak at first glance, but they were meant to warn Christians of the trials they had endured and would continue to experience. Jesus' Ascension and Heavenly enthronement set into motion God's Redemptive plan for the world. However, that plan included hardship for His People in a fallen world. They could take comfort in the fact that God is ultimately in control and has a plan that will result in the renewal and restoration of all creation. But until then, that creation will continue to groan in expectation (Rom.8).

But what about those Christians who had paid the ultimate price for their faith? What about those who had received no justice, but rather persecution? Would they go unnoticed by God? The 5th seal that is opened puts that question to rest decisively! When the Lamb opens it, he sees the souls of the martyred believers in Heaven. But this is no happy, harp-strumming, idyllic paradise. No, these saints are crying out to God for vindication. As the Hebrew imprecatory Psalms begged for God's judgment on those who were persecuting His people, so too these martyrs are longing for justice.

Even more interesting is where John sees these souls. They are "under the altar". The altar in the tabernacle/temple of old (which had been destroyed about 20 years prior to John's writing this) is where the atoning sacrifices were made for the sins of the people. When the animal was sacrificed, its blood would run down the altar to its base. The blood of the sacrifice was the necessary provision for the forgiveness of the people from their sins. It is likely that by seeing the souls of those who had literally shed their blood for the Lamb, who had shed His blood for all humanity, John is seeing that the deaths of the faithful are not pointless or in vain. Rather, in God's cosmic script, their deaths are somehow functioning in a sacrificial manner. Through their deaths, people will somehow be put right with God as they are convicted of bloodshed and turn in repentance to the ultimate sacrifice and ultimate high priest, the Lamb of God, Jesus.

This helps explain why they are given robes and told to wait a little longer. God's plan has yet to be fulfilled and there will be more who are called to give their lives for the sake of the Gospel. However, those deaths will not be in vain. Those martyrs will be given "white robes" (as symbol of conquering and victory) and will experience rest after having suffered so much on earth. They are now reigning with the Lamb in Heaven even though it looks like they are rotting in the ground on earth. But this is NOT their final destination. We will see more of them in later chapters of John's vision.


12 Then I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge earthquake took place;
the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair,
and the full moon became blood red;
13 and the stars in the sky fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping its
unripe figs when shaken by a fierce wind.
14 The sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up,
and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

The Lamb now opens the 6th seal and unlike the previous one, there is a fierce display of Theophanic disasters. (Theophany is the term used to describe God's visible manifest appearance before humans in the Hebrew Bible; the prime example being His descent in smoke and fire and earthquake and thunder and lightning at Mt. Sinai!)

However, these aren't random "acts of God" in the meteorological sense of the term. These are actual images taken from the Hebrew Prophets which describe God's decisive judgment on evil that has manifested itself at various times throughout history:

"I will spread your flesh on the mountains
and fill the valleys with your remains.
I will drench the land with your flowing blood all the way to the mountains,
and the ravines will be filled with your flesh.
When I snuff you out,
I will cover the heavens
and darken their stars;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon will not give its light.
All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you;
I will bring darkness over your land,
declares the Sovereign LORD."
Ezekiel 32:5-8 (God's judgment of Pharaoh and Egypt)


"Indeed the stars in the sky and their constellations
no longer give out their light;
the sun is darkened as soon as it rises,
and the moon does not shine.
---
So I will shake the heavens,
and the earth will shake loose from its foundation,
because of the fury of the LORD who commands armies,
in the day he vents his raging anger."
Isaiah 13:10, 13 (God's judgment of Babylon and its destruction)


"All the stars in the sky will fade away,
the sky will roll up like a scroll;
all its stars will wither,
like a leaf withers and falls from a vine
or a fig withers and falls from a tree."
Isaiah 34:4 (God's Final Judgment of the nations)

"I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD."
Joel 2:30-31 (The Day of the LORD, which Peter quoted from at Pentacost)

The Prophetic imagery that John uses to describe the 6th seal's opening implies that the culmination of all of God's judgment on evil is about to happen. As is clear from the use of Isaiah's imagery of the sky rolling up and the stars falling like fig leaves, we are preparing for the Final Judgment; the eschatalogical "Day of the LORD". Evil has reigned throughout history, the faithful have been put to death time and time again, God's people have been pursecuted and have suffered...and now it's time for the divine retribution and for universal justice to prevail.

And all God's enemies immediately realize this...


15 Then the kings of the earth, the very important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They said to the mountains and to the rocks,

"Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,
17 because the great day of their wrath has come,
and who is able to stand?!"

The cry of those seeking to hide from God's Judgment echoes the words of Malachi:

"But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap."
Malachi 3:2

Who can stand? Who will be able to endure the wrath of God/the Lamb? (Note again the use of irony in Revelation. What could possibly be LESS full of wrath than a slain lamb?!) Before the Lamb opens the final seal, however, John is about to see the answer to that very question. And like the concept of "wrath" of the "Lamb", the image John encounters next will turn all notions of might and conquering upside down...

Until next time,
JMS

Revelation - Week 7

Now that God has been praised for Creating (ch.4) and Redeeming (ch.5), it is now time to begin implementing the royal decree that the Lamb's death has allowed Him to put into effect. The opening of the 7 seals begins the 1st of three cycles of 7 judgments (later we will see 7 trumpets and 7 bowls). It is important to note a crucial detail that often gets overlooked...it is the Lamb who is opening the seals and releasing the judgments contained within the scroll. Despite the horrors experienced throughout the world, John's readers are to take comfort in the fact that it is all part of God's sovereign plan and that the Lamb, not Caesar, not Satan, not even death, is the ultimate orchestrator of this universal symphony called history.

6:1 I looked when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a thunderous voice, "Come!"

2 So I looked, and behold, a white horse! The one who rode it had a bow, and he was given a crown, and as a conqueror he rode out to conquer.

3 Then when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come!"

4 And another horse, fiery red, came out, and the one who rode it was granted permission to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another, and he was given a huge sword.

5 Then when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, "Come!"

So I looked, and here came a black horse! The one who rode it was holding balance scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard something like a voice from among the four living creatures saying,

"A quart of wheat for a day's pay [denarius]
and three quarts of barley for a day's pay [denarius].
But do not damage the olive oil and the wine!"


7 Then when the Lamb opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come!"

8 So I looked and here came a pale green horse! The name of the one who rode it was Death, and Hades followed right behind. They were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword, famine, and disease, and by the wild animals of the earth.


The first 4 seals are opened and result in 4 riders on horses being allowed to ride throughout the earth. These are known in popular terminology as the "4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse." Each horse has a different color and each rider a different function.

The Rider on the White Horse (who is not to be mistaken with the later Rider on a White Horse in ch.19 for obvious reasons!) is allowed to conquer in power. The image of a mighty archer on a white horse conquering would have immediately, in the mind of a reader in 1st century Rome, been associated with the dreaded enemies of Rome, the Parthians. Part of the royal decree involves the coming reality of conquest throughout the world. John's readers should not be surprised at the rise and fall of various empires in which they may find themselves living.

The second horseman is riding a Bright Red Horse. His coming brings with it massive bloodshed. The White horse rider signified political conquests and warfare. This Red horse's rider signifies violence and bloodshed on the individual or personal level--which is often what follows political upheaval. The reader is again reminded that suffering and violence will characterize the world under God's judgment so that they will not be caught unawares.

Next comes a Rider on a Black horse. This rider's release brings with it a massive shift in the economic landscape. The price of basic staples of daily life (wheat and barley) soar in price (a denarius was approximately the daily wage of the average worker in the 1st century). However, oil and wine remain the same. There have been many attempts to explain the significance of this statement. In light of the previous two Riders, it is not unlikely that this rider signifies the economic turmoil that results from the political and civil chaos brought on by the first two Riders.

The final horseman appears riding on a Pale Green horse. This rider is actually named--Death. The personified abode of the dead, Hades, is pictured as following right behind him, signifying the massive death that comes on the heels of political, civil, and economic chaos.

So, what do these first 4 judgments mean? Are they predictions of a future event that is still waiting to happen and that modern Christians should try to "decode", as the John Hagees and Hal Lindsey's of the world make a living doing? Hardly. As we've seen from the beginning of this study, Revelation was speaking first and foremost to John's fellow Christians in the 1st century.

Should we, therefore, try to comb through history and identify the events to which these Horsemen referred, as many Preterist interpretors have attempted to do? No. This would mean that the vision given to John was exhausted by historical events nearly 2 millennia ago, and therefore has little, if anything, to say to the modern reader.

Before attempting to pinpoint the meaning of the Riders precisely, we should be aware of the source of such imagery in the first place. Like many images we encounter in Revelation, the 4 horsemen find their origin in the Hebrew Prophets, particularly the visionary prophet Zechariah. In Zechariah chs. 1 and 6, we find 4 horses of varying colors going throughout the earth. In the original setting of Zechariah's vision, these horses represent God's sovereign rule over the nations of the world (ch.1) and His omnipresent Spirit which brings peace after conquest (ch.6).

Taking all of this into account, it is likely that John's readers would have seen in these first 4 seal judgments that despite the upheaval in the world around them (which has continued throughout the entire history of the church), nothing is happening that is not already somehow a part of God's plan of rescuing the redeemed creation from this evil and corruption in which it continues to find itself immersed. And just as the outcome of the horses in Zechariah's vision was the peace and safety of God's People, so too God's People who have been redeemed by the Lamb will ultimately dwell in peace and safety--but not without having to first endure extreme suffering and hardships, perhaps even death.

And this is exactly what the 5th seal's opening will ensure!

JMS

Revelation - week 6

Since it is so crucial to the reading of the rest of the book, and since it's been a while since the last post, let's look once more at Revelation 5 and the introduction of the central character in the book.

5:1 Then I saw in the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the front and back and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming in a loud voice:

"Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?"

3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it. 4 So I began weeping bitterly because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

In ch.4 we witnessed the worship of the One seated on the Throne as the all-powerful Creator God. We are now told that this God who is Creator also has a sovereign royal decree to be put into effect. He is holding a book/scroll (the Greek word can mean either) that is literally full of writing--to the point of using up even the outside as a writing surface. It is also sealed completely with "seven seals". A seal in the 1st century would be a blob of hot wax or clay that was attached to the seam on a scroll or book into which the person sending it would impress a signet (usually in the form of a ring they wore) pattern into the soft wax or clay. As it dried and hardened, the only way to open the scroll or book would be to break the seal. This was how documents were kept private. Only the person or persons authorized by the one sending the message were allowed to break the seal and open the message.

John is overcome with grief because God's royal decree, His plan for the Kingdom is sealed up completely with no one worthy enough to open it in all of creation!


5 Then one of the elders said to me,

"Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah,
the root of David, has conquered;
thus he can open the scroll and its seven seals."

All is not lost! There IS someone worthy to open God's message and put His plan into effect! The "Lion of the Tribe of Judah", the "Root of David"--the Messiah!

These are allusions to images of the coming Messiah from the Hebrew Scriptures. And they depict him as a mighty warrior king who is fearsome and strong!

"You are a lion's cub, Judah,
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He crouches and lies down like a lion;
like a lioness– who will rouse him?
The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet,
until he comes to whom it belongs;
the nations will obey him." --Genesis 49:9-10

"A shoot will grow out of Jesse's root stock,
a bud will sprout from his roots.
The LORD's spirit will rest on him–
a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom,
a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans,
a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the LORD.
He will take delight in obeying the LORD.
He will not judge by mere appearances,
or make decisions on the basis of hearsay.
He will treat the poor fairly,
and make right decisions for the downtrodden of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and order the wicked to be executed.
Justice will be like a belt around his waist,
integrity will be like a belt around his hips." --Isaiah 11:1-5

This is who John HEARS is able to open the book/scroll by breaking the seals.

But what he SEES when he looks at this Messianic figure is completely baffling:


6 Then I saw standing in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, something like a slaughtered Lamb. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

John HEARD "mighty conquering warrior king" descriptions. But what he now SEES is "a slaughtered lamb"--the most weak and pitiful image imaginable! What is going on here??

This is one of the most important passages in all of Revelation because it provides an example of Revelation's most dominant theme of them all: When seen from a Heavenly perspective, what looks like weakness and defeat is actually strength and victory. The mightly conquering messianic king conquers and reigns THROUGH suffering and dying, not in spite of it! And like the Lamb they claim to follow, Christians--from the first century up to the present--are called to do the same.

This is, however, no ordinary Lamb or merely human messiah. No. We see that the Lamb possesses "seven horns"--a symbol of "complete power"--and "seven eyes which are the seven spirits of God"--complete wisdom and knowledge (for both of these as symbols, see Week 1 of this study). We also see that this Lamb is "in the middle of the the throne and of the four living creatures and in the middle of the elders"--the location occupied by the One seated on the Throne! Some how, in an inexplicable way, the Lamb and the One seated on the Throne TOGETHER are the fullness of God. The Lamb is Divine. This understanding of Jesus' divinity goes all the way back to the very beginning of the Christian faith, despite the attempts by recent revisionist scholarship to dedclare otherwise (i.e. Crossan, Pagels, Ehrman, Tabor, Spong, etc.)


7 Then he came and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne, 8 and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground before the Lamb.
Each of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 They were singing a new song:

"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals
because you were slaughtered,

and by your blood you ransomed for God persons from every
tribe,
language,
people,
and nation!

10 You have appointed them as a kingdom
and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth!"

11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their number was ten thousand times ten thousand– thousands times thousands– 12 all of whom were singing in a loud voice:

"Worthy is the lamb who was killed
to receive power
and wealth
and wisdom
and might
and honor
and glory
and praise!"

13 Then I heard every creature– in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them– singing:

"To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise,
honor,
glory,
and power
forever and ever!"

14 And the four living creatures were saying "Amen," and the elders threw themselves to the ground and worshiped.

The One on the Throne was worshipped as Creator in ch.4. The Lamb is now worshipped as Redeemer in ch.5. Together they are worshipped as God by all of creation in 3 songs of praise. Again, as we saw in ch.4, this is not a picture of what will happen in the future for all eternity in Heaven--it is a picture of the universal worship of God the creator and redeemer in Heaven IN THE PRESENT. Of course this worship has not extended to every person on earth at John's time, or even 2,000 years later in ours...

But this is why Jesus' followers have always prayed for God's will to be done "on earth, as it is in Heaven."

Now that the Lamb has approached the Throne and taken the book/scroll that He alone is worthy to open, it's time to start opening the seals and putting God's sovereign redemptive plan for Messianic Judgment, Justice, and Kingdom into action!

It all begins to hit the fan next week! :)

Blessings,
JMS

Revelation - week 5

5:1 Then I saw in the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the front and back and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming in a loud voice:

"Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?"

3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it. 4 So I began weeping bitterly because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

All of creation has just praised God as Creator. Now we find out something else about Him...He has an important message or plan for His creation. In the 1st century Roman Empire (and throughout history before and after as well) if a document from the Emperor was important and was to be read only under certain circumstances or by certain people, it would be sealed. Usually some wax or clay would be placed over the opening of the scroll or book (the Greek word used in Revelation, "biblion," can refer to either) and the royal signet, often worn as a ring, would be pressed into the soft clay or hot wax. As it cooled, it would harden and the only way to read the document would be to break the seal. Sometimes more than one seal would be used on a very important document...but SEVEN seals?? That's just overkill...unless, as we've seen with all the numbers in Revelation, it is symbolic. In this case, the message would be clear: The contents of this Scroll/book have been thoroughly sealed and are awaiting their proper reader...the one who is authorized to unseal the document and make known its contents.

But alas, there is NO ONE in all of creation who can open the scroll/book! No one can even peek inside of it! God's plans, whatever they may be as written in His scroll, cannot be put into action. It's all been sealed up. Does this mean that John will never know what is going on in the world? That Christians will continue to suffer with absolutely no rhyme, reason, relief or retribution? What is the point of it all, then? Like his ancestor prophet in exile, Daniel, will God's plans--God's sometimes troubling plans!--be left uninterpreted and "sealed up"??

John can't take such an idea and breaks down weeping.

However, no sooner has he given up hope than he receives some good news (the real "good news" which is the translation of the Greek word for gospel incidentally!)...

5 Then one of the elders said to me,

"Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah,
the root of David, has conquered;
thus he can open the scroll and its seven seals."

The scroll can be opened because one who is worthy has been found! The Messiah! The "Lion of Judah"! It is the mighty "Root" who the people have been longing for ever since Isaiah first received this word from God:

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples;
the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.

In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people
from Assyria,
from Lower Egypt,
from Upper Egypt,
from Cush,
from Elam,
from Babylonia,
from Hamath
and from the islands of the sea.

He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel;
he will assemble the scattered people of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.
--Isaiah 11:10-12

The mighty military conqueror God promised His people has arrived to put His plan into action--to bring forth the long awaited "Day of the LORD"!

But there's just one catch...

6 Then I saw standing in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, something like a slaughtered Lamb. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

How shocked must John have been at what he now sees!!!

He HEARD "Lion of Judah" and "Root of David"--mighty military regal imagery.
He SEES "something like a slaughtered lamb"--the epitome of meekness and suffering!

Yet this is no simple slain animal. This Lamb has the 7 eyes and 7 horns, which denote His complete sovereignty and complete power.

And thus we are introduced to another major theme of Revelation--what we see is not always what we expect. Things look differently from the vantage point of the Throne! True power comes, paradoxically, through suffering, not through strength or military might. It cannot be overstated how important this concept is throughout the book of Revelation. It goes against the grain of current pop-theology which seeks to survive the "End Times" through U.S. Foreign Policy and Military strategy--but it is perhaps the central message of Revelation.

In fact, we see now as a parallel to ch.4's praise of God for being the Creator, ch.5's praise of the Lamb for being the Redeemer. God's creation which was thrown into despair by the cooperation of sinful humanity with supernatural evil can now finally be put to rights through the action of the One who overcomes Sin and Death by taking it all upon Himself and experiencing its fullness in order to render it ultimately powerless! Listen to the praise the Lamb now receives...

7 Then he came and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne, 8 and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground before the Lamb.
Each of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 They were singing a new song:

"You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals
because you were slaughtered,

("Because you were slaughterd"...the means by which evil sought to destroy Jesus was the very means by which He defeated it!)

and by your blood you ransomed for God persons from every
tribe,
language,
people,
and nation!

Sounds an awful lot like Isaiah's prophecy of what the "Root" would accomplish, doesn't it? The salvation of "Israel" Isaiah foresaw has begun to take place...only now we see that "Israel" is not simply ethnic or national Israel--it's the true "Israel of God", the faithful redeemed from all the earth!

10 You have appointed them as a kingdom
and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth!"

To drive this point home, we see now that at least two specific promises made to ethnic Israel are only fully realized through the followers of the Lamb--being a "kingdom" and "priests" of God (Exodus 19:6).

What's more, we see that the reigning that the followers of the Lamb will one day experience will not be in a disembodied eternal "heaven". No, it will be "on the earth"--which we won't get a glimpse of until the final few paragraphs of the book. But it will be a renewed bodily earthly existence. No clouds and harps. (For more on this, check out the excellent interview with N.T. Wright about his new book in the Dojo archives!)

11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their number was ten thousand times ten thousand– thousands times thousands– 12 all of whom were singing in a loud voice:

"Worthy is the lamb who was killed
to receive power
and wealth
and wisdom
and might
and honor
and glory
and praise!"

13 Then I heard every creature– in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them– singing:

"To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise,
honor,
glory,
and power
forever and ever!"

14 And the four living creatures were saying "Amen," and the elders threw themselves to the ground and worshiped.

What we are left with in Revelation 5's worship of the Lamb as Redeemer among the Heavenly Host is a New Testament depiction of the famous longed-for enthronement of the "Son of Man" figure that John's predecessor Daniel described around 6 centuries before:

"In my vision at night I looked,
and there before me was one like a son of man,
coming with the clouds of heaven.
He approached the Ancient of Days
and was led into his presence.
He was given authority,
glory
and sovereign power;
all peoples,
nations
and men of every language
worshiped him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away,
and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

--Daniel 7:13-14

The Son of Man whom Daniel saw approach the throne of the Ancient of Days is the "slaughtered Lamb" whom John sees approach the throne of the Creator God. Both are to exercise power, judgment of beastly evil, and the vindication of God's People. They are, in fact, one and the same...

Jesus the Messiah of Israel, and thus of the whole world! He as slaughtered as a Paschal Lamb; He is now enthroned as the King of the universe. -Amen!

The question now is, "so what's He gonna reveal when He opens the scroll??"

Stay tuned...

JMS

God, Katrina, Disaster, and Beauty...

I came across this post from last week on Ben Witherington's blog and wanted to share it if for no other reason than the stunningly (and hauntingly) beautiful images.

http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2008/04/wrath-of-katrina.html

Blessings,
JMS

Revelation week 4

4:1 After these things I looked, and there was a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said: "Come up here so that I can show you what must happen after these things."


After receiving the letters to the Seven churches from the Risen Jesus, John looks and sees a doorway into the heavens that stands open. He is invited to come into the very presence of God (as we will see shortly) where he will be shown a vision of what is about to begin happening in the world.

It's important to note what this passage does NOT teach. This is in no way a description of "the Rapture" as many Dispensational writers claim. To read the rapture into this passage is precisely that--to read it INTO the passage (the term for reading a meaning into a text that is not there is "eisegesis" and is to be avoided at all times). There is no rapture, no 2,000+ year gap called the "church age", no final trumpet, nothing like any of that in this passage. Rather, this experience of John's where he is taken up into the heavenly realm and shown amazing things is much closer to the experience Paul had of being taken up "to the third heaven," which Paul himself describes as a "revelation" (2Corinthians 12:1-4).

2 Immediately I was in the Spirit, and a throne was standing in heaven with someone seated on it! 3 And the one seated on it was like stones of jasper and carnelian in appearance, and a rainbow looking like it was made of emerald encircled the throne.
4 In a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white clothing and had golden crowns on their heads.
5 From the throne came out flashes of lightning and roaring and crashes of thunder.
Seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God, were burning in front of the throne 6 and in front of the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal.
In the middle of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second creature like an ox, the third creature had a face like a man's, and the fourth creature looked like an eagle flying. 8 Each one of the four living creatures had six wings and was full of eyes all around and inside. They never rest day or night, saying:

"Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God,
the All-Powerful,
Who was and who is, and who is coming!"

9 And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground before the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer their crowns before his throne, saying:

11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
since you created all things,
and because of your will they existed and were created!"


What is going on here??

Any of Johns original readers who were familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures, particularly the books written by prophets who had experienced exile as he himself was experiencing (Moses, Ezekiel, Daniel, etc.) would immediately recognize all these elements in a description of God's presence. God's throne (which also doubled as a chariot driven by 4 living creatures) was envisioned by both Ezekiel and Isaiah (Ezek. 1, Isa. 6). It was also described briefly by Daniel in his famous "Son of Man" vision (Dan. 7), which will come to the forefront in the next few chapters!

The 24 victoriously-dressed elders around God's throne would likely bring to mind the concept of God's People--both under the Mosaic Covenant (12 Tribes of Israel) as well as the Messianic New Covenant (12 Disciples). ALL of God's people, Jews under the first covenent and Jews/Gentiles together under the New Covenant, are represented before His throne.

What about 7 torches/spirits of God? As we briefly discussed when we looked at chapter 1, these either represent the 7 Archangels of Jewish lore, or more likely in my opinion, the sevenfold (that is, the complete and full) Spirit of God, aka. the Holy Spirit.

The 4 living creatures also appear, though in a slightly altered appearance, in Ezekiel's vision of God's throne. Though there remains a strong element of mystery surrounding them (as well as most of the symbols in Revelation), it is likely that they are representative of the whole higher created order. The lion representing the wild animals, the ox represening domesticated animals, the eagle representing the birds of the sky and the human representing humanity. They are full of eyes, possibly alluding to the fact that all creation watches and bears witness to God's glory (though of course this is somewhat speculative). However, unlike the earthly reality they represent, these living creatures have wings, like the seraphim in Isaiah's vision of God, signifying that they are heavenly in origin. God is not wholely separated from His creation; He is intimately involved with it and oversees it--even the dreadful source of chaos and evil, the sea--as the true and ultimate King of the Universe!

And it is as not only King, but also as Creator, that God is worshipped by all of creation symbolically in this heavenly vision. He is praised for creating such an amazing and beautiful universe--despite sin and decay entering in to it, it remains a good creation of a good God!

It's worth noting, contrary to some popular worship songs and sermons, that this is not a picture of what ultimate future existence for eternity in Heaven will look like. No, this is no picture of the ultimate destiny of God's creation; it is a picture of the current nature of God's creation! As we will soon see, there remains much to be done from Heaven's perspective; the scroll has to be opened; the Lamb has to be enthroned. As N.T. Wright has noted so well in his FANTASTIC new book, "Surprised by Hope":

The wonderful description in Revelation 4 and 5 of the twenty-four elders casting their crowns before the throne of God and the lamb, beside the sea of glass, is not, despite one of Charles Wesley's great hymns, a pictrue of the last day, with all the redeemed in heaven at last. It is a picture of present reality, the heavenly dimension of our present live. Heaven, in the Bible, is not a future destiny but the other, hidden, dimension of our ordinary life--God's dimension, if you like. God made heaven and earth; at the last he will remake both and join them together forever. And when we come to the picture of the actual end in Revelation 21-22, we find not ransomed souls making their way to a disembodied heaven but rather the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven to earth, uniting the two in a lasting embrace." (pp.18-19)

Next up: Chapter 5 "Enter the Lamb"!

See you then!

JMS