Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Not A Hair Of Your Head Will Perish (Revelation 11:1-13)

In Luke 21:16-18 Jesus warns the church with these words: “You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death…. But not a hair of your head will perish.”

This is one of those biblical passages that gives the reader whiplash. One the one hand, our Lord says that some Christians will be put to death. On the other hand, not a hair of their head will perish.” The two statements seem to contradict until we grasp that the word translated “perish” (apollumi) speaks of judgment (cf. Ps. 1:6; John 3:16). Jesus is saying that even if believers’ physical bodies are killed, they will not be destroyed in the ultimate sense. Not even in the slightest way will they fall short of salvation and face God’s judgment.  

That two-sided message is the same as what we find in Revelation 11:1-13. In Revelation 10:1-11 (the first half of the 10:1-11:13 interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets) we discover that the church is called to proclaim the full gospel, including the reality that we are sinners and in need of salvation. Because the world does not like this message, it persecutes the Church. In light of this, the second half of the interlude gives an assurance similar to what Jesus did in Luke 21:18, that though persecution will happen, the Church will be protected and saved in the ultimate way.[1]

The message begins with an acted-out parable.

An Acted-Out Parable (11:1-2)
John writes: “Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there,  2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.”

We need to remember that this is a continuation of a vision (10:1f.) and so what John writes here is what he envisions.

The “measuring” of “the temple of God, and the altar and those who worship there,” is intended to be seen in light of the Ezekiel 40-48 prophecy. In those chapters we see the establishment of the end-times temple (which both the New Testament in general and Revelation in particular see as the New Testament church united to Jesus Christ)[2] and also its protection symbolized by an angel measuring various features of the temple complex. We also see the same kind of “measuring” in Revelation 21:15-17 (most likely dependent on the Ezekiel texts also), where an angel uses a measuring rod to measure the city, its gates and its wall. In that passage the measuring of the city and its parts portrays the security of its inhabitants against the harm and contamination of unclean and deceptive people (see 21:27). Jewish and Gentile Christians will compose this temple community (as is evident from 3:12; 21:12-14 [the apostles representing the church from every nation]; 21:24-26; 22:2).  In Revelation 21 the absolute security of believers in heaven is depicted by the measuring. Here, the focus appears to be on security from ultimate destruction while, at the same time on the earth, they are persecuted by unbelievers.

According to what has been the most common interpretation of this chapter over the past century or so, this part of the vision deals with only the future, in a time of Great Tribulation, when the main focus is on Israel who has rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem. According to this interpretation, the measured believers are Jewish believers who are being persecuted by unbelieving Jews. There are a number of reasons, however, to prefer the understanding I am offering, that states the protected believers are Jewish and Gentile followers of Christ in this present age who are being protected in the ultimate sense from Jewish and Gentile unbelieving persecutors. 
·         There is a problem with those views that see the measuring of temple/worshipers referring to believing ethnic Jews and so those outside would be unbelieving ethnic Jews. Nowhere else in this book is that distinction made. There is distinction between those who think they are Jews and call themselves as such, but are not, and those who are true Jews/believers (the Church): cf. 2:9; 3:9; 7:4-17. In these texts it appears that the elect vs. nations language of the Old Testament now applies to the Church (Jew and Gentile) elect and that unbelieving Jews can be part of the unbelieving nations. There has been, in part, a role reversal!

·         There is a problem with those views that see the temple as a literal future temple and so it speaks of a rebuilt temple in the future where believing ethnic Jews offer sacrifices to God and that God would promise his protection to this and see these offerings as good in light of the salvation-historical shift and the fact that the temple and sacrifices pointed to and were fulfilled in Christ.[3] See Col. 2:16-17; Heb. 8-10 (esp. 10:1-22!). In other words, it is highly doubtful God would see such a rebuilding as positive, when it is a denial that Christ is the only Redeemer and the fulfillment of all to which the temple pointed. 

·         There is a problem with those who see this as all in the future, based upon the context of the book of Revelation and all that we have seen to this point that points to its content referring to the entire inter-advent era of the Church. In the immediate context, 10:6, John’s rewording of a Danielic text suggests that the 3.5 years or forty-two months (as we see in 11:2) speaks of the inter-advent church age and not simply of a future short period at the end of history.[4] What is more, the origin of this 3.5 years is most likely the persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes that lasted about this time. Such a reference, then, would be seen against that backdrop. 

·         As we discovered above, both the New Testament emphasis in general and the Revelation emphasis in particular are on the New Testament Church, united to Christ, as the end-times temple of God. This, coupled with the fact that in 11:1 John is told not just to measure temple and altar, but also “those who worship there,” suggests an emphasis upon people and not a building/place. This fits with the subsequent emphasis upon prophets or heralds of a message in ch. 11.[5] 

·         The “holy city,” which is to be trodden underfoot (v. 2),[6] is equated with the outer court. In Revelation, the “holy city is a reference either to the future heavenly city (3:12; 21:2, 10) or to its earthly manifestation in the church (20:9….).” Here is also another shift in salvation history (how God is working in history to save and preserve his people). Once Jesus Christ won through his death and resurrection the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit for his people and poured out the Spirit upon the church, the holy city has been the church, not an actual city (Heb. 10:22-23; Rev. 3:12; 20:9; 21:2, 10; 22:19). 

·         Finally, if we were right in ch. 7 that the interlude there speaks of the inter-advent age and security of the Church, so we are on good footing to see the same here. It is true that Rev. 11:14f. takes us to the end and final judgment. However, to the degree that these interludes, in part, show God answering the saints’ prayers for vindication—and so judgment on persecutors—as well as protection (cf. 6:11; 8:3-5), we also are moved in the direction that this addresses this entire inter-advent era and not merely a time in the future.

Since behind this Revelation 11 vision is the vision in Ezekiel 40-48 (and in that passage there are genuine believers and priests serving in the outer court), it seems best to understand this vision as teaching through the measuring of the temple, altar,[7] and those who worship there that God’s people are secure when it comes to God’s presence and their salvation. However, in the lack of measuring in the court outside of the temple, what the vision is teaching is that believers are not protected from that point where they interact with the unbelieving world. In other words, during the period of tribulation that we now know to be this current age between the first and second comings of Christ (the forty-two months of v. 2), the church will be persecuted. As Luke’s version of the Olivet Discourse taught (Luke 21:16-17): “You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name's sake.” However, the measuring of the temple reminds us, as Luke 21:18 affirms, “But not a hair of your head will perish.”

In verses 3-6 we discover a key purpose of the protective measuring of verses 1-2.

A Key Purpose Of The Protective Measuring (11:3-6)
In verse 3 we read, “And I will give to my two witnesses,[8] and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth” (my own translation).[9] At first, this appears to be a different subject than verses 1-2 and inserted abruptly. However, that is not the case. The two witnesses are equated with “the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth” (v. 4). This reference takes us back to Rev. 1:12, 20; 2:5, where the lampstands speak of the church and her Spirit-empowered witness to the world. Standing behind this lampstand reference is Zechariah 4, where a lampstand is envisioned with seven lamps on it that are connected into two olive trees that provide a perpetual supply of olive oil, so they can burn. The point of that vision was that the Spirit of God would continually empower the post-exilic community to complete the task of rebuilding the temple, restoring right worship of God, and fulfilling their mission to the world (see esp. Zech. 4:6).[10] 

When we grasp the background, we understand that the two witnesses are symbolic for the church living on mission (the subject so far of 10:1-11:2). In other words, the two witnesses signify the church that has eaten the small scroll in chapter 10 and are proclaiming the whole gospel, and are promised protection from ultimate destruction in the midst of this hostile world for this entire age (the forty-two months or 1,260 days). This is also supported by verse 7, where it states the beast will make war on the two witnesses. This alludes to Dan. 7:21, where not an individual but the covenant community is attacked.[11] We dare not miss, then, that the intrinsic nature of the New Testament Church is to be a people living on mission, giving testimony to the gospel of God’s grace, making disciples. 

There are two main reasons why two witnesses are envisioned. To begin, under Old Testament Law (Dt. 17:6; 19:15), a crime could not be established, and a person found guilty on the basis of the word of only one witness. Instead, there are to be at least two, three was better (and most likely the intent is that more is even better).  This vision, then, is conforming to that Old Testament pattern to show that the church provides a credible and true witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. After all, the reality of his saving work, the capstone of which was the resurrection, is confirmed by many witnesses (1 Cor. 15:1-8) and many signs (Heb. 2:4). 

The other reason two witnesses are envisioned is that they are patterned after Moses and Elijah, as seen in verses 5-6: “And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6 They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire.”  The points of these verses seem to be as follows:
·         In verse 5 protection from the ultimate destruction is promised to the church and judgment upon persecutors. The fire may even call to mind Elijah and the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:20-40). 

·         They are given the same kind of power that was given to the prophet Elijah (6a [see 1 Kings 17:1; 18:1, 42]) and to Moses (6b [Exodus 7:1-12:32, esp. 7:14-28]).

·         The main point, then, seems to be that the church, like authoritative Old Testament prophets, is to proclaim the authoritative Word of God, the core of which is the gospel—and to do this with power.[12] 

The fact that these two witnesses are seen as “clothed in sackcloth” (v. 3), is this was an Old Testament sign of mourning (e.g. Gen. 37:34; Neh. 9:1; Esther 4:2-4). As they proclaim the gospel in the world, they also mourn over the sin of the world and perhaps those who reject Jesus Christ. 

The persecuted Christian today may ask, “But where is God’s justice spoken of here in regard to those persecuting me?” The answer is in this: Either that persecutor will be dealt with justly by God in that his wrath was poured out on the Son for the sins of this person (if they receive and rest upon Christ alone for salvation) or that person, who has rejected the eternal, loving, and holy God, and who will for all eternity, continue to rebel against God, will face the eternal judgment and wrath of God. So, in using the Old Testament pictures and wording that both show God’s judgment and that God’s judgment fits the crime, we see that in fact justice will prevail in judgment! It should also be noted that most of the time in persecution the persecutors are also prosecutors who pronounce their judgment upon the Christian. It is just then that the judgment pronounced in faithful gospel preaching not only be pronounced, but also take place. 

Speaking of the struggle the persecuted Christian has in the midst of their suffering, the vision given to John goes on to address this.

The Suffering Of The Church On Mission And Its Apparent Defeat. 7-10
Here we read: 
And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.


There are several helpful points we can make about these four verses:
(1) To begin, the church will complete its mission of giving testimony to Jesus Christ throughout this age and world, with the result that all whom God has redeemed from every “tribe, language, people, and nation” (5:9) will come to Christ. Most likely, this also suggests the completion of the number of martyrs God has ordained will be completed (6:11). 11:7

(2) Though the world system that serves Satan, made up of government and religious entities, will be operative throughout this age (see Rev. 13:1ff.), toward the end of this age the persecution will intensify, especially once the gospel has gone throughout the world and to all ethnic groups (Mt. 24:14). This will happen to the extent that it will appear that the beast will have defeated the church. 11:7

(3) Throughout this age the God-opposing, Christ-hating, gospel-rejecting world system will rejoice in the persecution and death of Christians, yet toward the end of this age this world system (symbolized by two places that were known for their opposition to God [Sodom and Egypt] and also by Jerusalem [that place that claimed fidelity to God, yet largely rejected Christ])[13] will grow in their revilement toward, their joy over, and their disrespect toward the death of God’s people. 11:8-10

(4) Part of the rationale for the way the world reacts toward the church throughout this age and especially at the end of the age is that they view the church as tormenting them with their message. 11:10

(5) It may be that the reference to “three and a half days” is used, not only to connect the time of post-suffering death of the faithful witnesses to the three days of Jesus, but also to echo the three and a half years of tribulation the Church experiences throughout this age. In other words, this will be the culmination of the church’s suffering at the end of this age (a much shorter time), following the path of their Savior, and yet, like with Jesus, resurrection follows (11-12). 11:9

This leads us to the final section of this entire passage. 

God Restores The Church To Himself. 11:11-13
Though it appears to the world that the church has been soundly defeated, this is reversed at the coming of Jesus Christ when the church is resurrected to their eternal reward. Following the message we saw at the beginning of the book (1:7: “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”), when Christ returns, the coming will be visible and fear-inspiring to the world who faces judgment, and it will be with or in the clouds. So, clearly verses 11-12 are looking to that coming and thus to the resurrection of believers at that time (cf. 20:11-13) to be with their God (John 14:1-3; Rev. 21-22): “But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here!’ And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.”

In verse 13, at the end of this interlude and just prior to the blowing of the seventh trumpet (which unveils the final judgment), we read of the beginning of the final judgment: “And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven”

There is an escalation of God’s judgment upon that part of mankind that opposes him, just before the judgment will reach to all the universe and every person who has opposed him. As a result of this escalated judgment, these continually rebellious and unbelieving people will give glory to God, not in that they will repent and believe in Christ, but that they will be judged and show that God does not in any way overlook sin. For believers, their sin is judged by the pouring out of God’s wrath upon the Son. For unrepentant unbelievers, their sin is judged by the pouring out of God’s wrath upon them. In both cases God is glorified! 

Conclusion
And so, in this interlude between trumpets six and seven, we discover that even though the church faces great push-back, trials and tribulations, suffering, and persecution throughout this age and that will escalate at the end of this age, God has promised to preserve and protect his people from the ultimate destruction, and destruction that would come about by not coming to genuine salvation in Christ and not persevering therein. 

The promise of this protection is intended to spur the church on to faithful witness, to proclaim the whole gospel continually to the world, no matter what the response is.

May we then, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in this gospel work of the Lord, since we are assured of his protection, the future reward of resurrection, and thus our labor is not in vain in Jesus Christ (see 1 Corinthians 15:58).

Joyfully Persevering On Mission With You As We Keep The Hairs On Our Head Eternally,

Tom

[1] This interlude, just like the one we saw in Revelation 7, deals with sealing or protection of believers.

[2] There is much support in the NT in general and in Revelation in particular for seeing the eschatological temple of God as Christ (cf. John 1:14; 2:19; Rev. 21:22) and so all who are united to him also comprise the temple of God (cf. Acts 2:1-13; 1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:21-22; 1 Peter 2:4-10). For this emphasis of the church as temple in Revelation see 1:4, 12; 4:4; 21:3, 16, 22.

[3] The typical Dispensational Futurist understanding of this text is this (Dennis Johnson, ESVSB, 2478): “Many dispensationalists understand this to imply that during the great tribulation the Jewish temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem, and Jewish worship will be reinstituted there, and that it is here that, in the middle of the tribulation, the Antichrist will take “his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thess. 2:4). They understand the reference to the holy city to mean literal, earthly Jerusalem.” As Beale, Campbell, 216, highlight, many such Dispensationalists argue that such future sacrifices are not in any way atoning, but they are “mere memorials of Christ’s sacrifice.” However, as Beale and Campbell comment there, such an approach is unconvincing. It is hard to believe that God would in any way put His stamp of approval upon a future restoration of sacrifice in any way, especially given the struggles the Jewish branch of New Testament Church had in its early days of moving away fully from the Law system. This is not a peripheral issue!

[4] In Rev. 10:6 the Angel of the Lord pronounces in an oath “that there is no more delay.” The point is that there is no more delay for the events of this inter-advent age that involve judgment of God’s enemies and salvation for his people. This clause is parallel to the clause, “it would be for a time, times, and half a time,” in its O.T. background, Dan. 12:7. This suggests strongly that this concept of “a time, times, and half a time” (3.5 years) is referring to the current age and not to a future short time at the very end, either just before or just after the return of Christ.
See also the Olivet Discourse and its connection to Daniel.

[5] It also must not be missed that in ch. 10 John is the prophet eating the words of God that he might proclaim them and other figures are used in ch. 11. Though not conclusive in and of itself, it makes us lean in the direction that the time referent in ch. 11 is the same as in ch. 10 and as it has been throughout Revelation (the inter-advent age).

[6] This is the time when Daniel predicted that “the holy place…and the host were to be trampled underfoot (the same Greek verb is used in one Greek version of Dan. 8:13). One Greek version of Zechariah 12:3, possibly paralleling the idea of “trampling” in Dan. 8:13, may also be behind this text. It is clear that this idea has ample Old Testament background to it.

[7] The “altar” is most likely referring to the altar of incense inside the temple and not the altar of burnt offering/sacrifice outside the temple in the courtyard, since the former is measured in the vision and latter is not. It takes the reader back to the scene in Rev. 6:9-10, where believers are seen under the altar and praying for justice—their prayers being the incense offered on that altar (Rev. 8:3-4). The altar and incense imagery in these chapters reminds the reader that saints suffer in this age, but God will, in response to their prayers, bring justice, make things right, and judge persecutors.

[8] Beale, Campbell, 220: “The future tenses (‘I will grant authority,’ ‘they will prophesy’) probably highlight divine determination instead of future time, context being the ultimate determiner of the meaning.”

[9] On “and they will prophesy,” Wayne Grudem, The Gift Of Prophecy In New Testament And For Today, ch. 2, argues that we should not follow Revelation as an example of the typical way the prophet/prophesy word group is used in the New Testament, since this was a work of an apostle. In chapter 1 of this book Grudem demonstrates that Old Testament prophets spoke the very words of God with divine authority. However, by the time of the New Testament, he argues in ch. 2, to display the newness, i.e. the New Covenant nature, of the Church, a different term is used for those who speak the very words of the Lord, i.e. those who are eyewitnesses to the risen Lord Jesus and the inauguration of his kingdom: apostles. Typically, in the New Testament, prophecy speaks merely human words to report something God brings to mind (Ch’s. 3-4 of Grudem’s book). Yet, I would argue, it appears here in Revelation that “prophesy” is used closer to the Old Testament meaning, i.e. speaking the very words of God. Yet, in light of the context of the New Testament in general and this interlude in particular, the prophetic action appears to be the proclamation of the gospel by the church—i.e. giving witness to Jesus Christ. Most likely “prophesy” is used to make the connection between the NT Church and the OT background examples of Moses and Elijah. Yet, in light of the Joel 2 prophecy alluded to in Acts 2 and the fulfillment in the NT Church (throughout the Church and the Church age), this verb could retain some of its typical NT usage to aid in the proclamation of the gospel witness to Christ.

[10] This background is also supported by the actual wording of verse 3. Though the ESV supplies the word “authority” in the clause, “I will give” (or “I will grant”), it is not present in the Greek text. It is more likely that what is being asserted here is that God is promising to give power and ability to his church for the mission. If this is the case, it also fits with the Revelation 1 and Zechariah 4 background.

[11] We can offer at least two other reasons for taking the two witnesses as referring to the church throughout this age. (1) In vv. 9-13, we read that the whole world will see the apparent defeat of these witnesses—a statement only understandable if they are understood as the corporate worldwide church (It is unlikely that the technologies of worldwide communication, by which two individual people could be seen by all throughout the world, were in mind). (2) The witnesses prophesy for three and a half years (v. 3), the same amount of time that the holy city (the church) is trampled underfoot (v. 2) and the woman of 12:6 (also representing the church) and those dwelling in heaven (13:6) are oppressed.

[12] To understand properly the message of v. 6 we must grasp the highly figurative nature of the book in general and this passage in particular. This text is not saying that two literal prophets in the future will do these things. Nor is it promising that the NT Church will often or always (or even necessarily ever) have the power to do these things literally. What it is saying is that the fulfillment of the expectation among Israel that Moses and Elijah would return in the end-times is not only found in their presence on the mountain of transfiguration (cf. Mt. 17; Mk. 9), but it is found in the NT Church, which is the end-times restoration of the true Israel of God. In other words, the NT Church, united to Christ, is the fulfillment of the Law (Moses) and prophets (Elijah)!

[13] “Great city” elsewhere in Revelation speaks of Babylon. That is the direct symbolic reference here. However, the point being made is that those who thought they were serving God and part of his Jerusalem were actually part of the enemy of God, Babylon, in their opposition to the Christ.

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Faithful Physicians Of The Soul (Revelation 10:1-11)

Multiple times in our series through Revelation I have used the analogy of physicians needing to speak truth to their patients so that life and health can be pursued and experienced more fully. I have said that we would run physicians and hospital administrators out of town if they decided to give only positive diagnoses to patients and never speak negative words, such as, “You have a tumor,” “you have cancer,” “You have diabetes,” or “your blood pressure is dangerously high.” We easily see that such negative messages are necessary so remedies can be sought.

As we discover in Revelation 10:1-11, the same necessity of speaking truth (even the negative message of judgment) is upon the Church. In this first half of an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets (just as there was an interlude in Revelation 7 between the sixth and seventh seals), we are reminded that in the midst of hostile cultures that ignore the true God at best and flat out reject him and his truth at worst, we are called to speak the whole truth of God. This means not only speaking positive and encouraging messages, but also speaking the truth about where people are at without Christ. We are to proclaim a gospel that also explains why the good news (there is a remedy, there is salvation in Christ!) is needed in the first place, namely that we all are terminal in our condition. In other words, we are sinners who are spiritually dead, under God’s judgment, and if this is not taken care of, it becomes eternally permanent. Though not a popular message, it is what faithful physicians of the soul, obedient witnesses to Jesus Christ, share.

And it is this very message that the Church facing push back at best or persecution at worst is tempted to abandon, tweak, or change completely. This is why in this interlude Jesus Christ recommissions John and the Church to keep proclaiming the whole gospel of the glory of salvation in Jesus so God’s judgment on sinners can be avoided (Rev. 10:1-11), even though it will mean persecution for many—a persecution in the midst of which God will protect his people in the ultimate sense (Rev. 11:1-13).

In this week’s post, we will unpack the first half of this interlude, which includes our reminder to preach the entire truth of God: Both judgment and salvation.

1. The Reality This Is An Interlude Between Trumpets Six And Seven, And Spans This Entire Age. 
Virtually all commentators acknowledge Revelation 10:1-11:13 forms an interlude or parenthesis between the sixth and seventh trumpets, for in Rev. 8:13 it is introduced that the final three trumpets will be three “woes,” i.e. especially severe judgments upon the God-opposing earth. In Rev. 9:12, after the fifth trumpet (Rev. 9:1-11) has been blown and described, we read, “The first woe has passed; behold two woes are still to come.” This refers to trumpets six and seven. We then read of the sixth trumpet (which is the second woe) in Rev. 9:13-21. However, we do not read of the closing of this second woe and the introduction of the third woe (trumpet seven) until 11:14: “The second woe has passed; behold the third woe is soon to come.” This means that Rev. 10:1-11:13 forms an interlude between the two trumpets (trumpets 6 and 7).

Based upon the material in this interlude, along with the final statement just before the interlude (“The rest of mankind…did not repent of the works of their hands…nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts,” Rev. 9:20-21), what we find in this interlude is not only one of the reasons why God is bringing judgment upon the unbelieving and rebellious world (because they persecute the church), we also find a call to the church to remain faithful in gospel ministry, even though the strong temptation is to cut corners so we can be accepted by the God-opposing world system around us.

That this interlude also covers this entire age (and is parallel to the seals and trumpets) follows from how the book of Revelation is structured and how it is recapitulating through different views of this current age so we can learn how to live as joyful followers of Christ to God’s glory in the face of hostility. It also follows from the parallel nature of 10:1-11:13 to the first interlude we saw between seals six and seven, that is, Rev. 7:1-17. Since it covered this entire age between the first and second comings of Christ, this interlude most likely does as well. We should also not miss that both interludes show that believers are protected from being destroyed in the ultimate sense (facing God’s judgment and missing eternal reward) in the midst of great hostility.

2. Jesus Christ Comes To John To Recommission Him And The Church To Proclaim The Message Of Judgment And Salvation. 10:1-7
This main message of this paragraph is unfolded in the following ways.

a. Jesus Christ Comes To John In The Form Of The Angel Of The Lord. 1
In this verse we read: “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.” Like the angel in 5:2, this is a “mighty angel” who makes his proclamation “with a loud voice” (v. 3). These are the first of several elements that seem to link Revelation 5 with this interlude. Most likely the connection is that the accomplishing and applying of salvation and judgment we see in that fifth chapter lead to the need for the church to proclaim that dual message and it also is partly what is behind the persecution of the church in Rev. 11.

This angel is most likely similar to the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. In other words, the angel is Jesus Christ. The reasons for this understanding are as follows:

·         He is envisioned wrapped in a cloud (a vehicle God uses to progress [Ex. 13:21; Dt. 33:26; Ps. 104:3; Is. 19:1] and the same way the Son of Man is seen coming in Daniel and Revelation [Dan. 7:13; Rev. 1:4; 14:14]). 

·         He has a rainbow over his head (associated with God in Ezekiel 1[1] and Revelation 4, as well as symbolic of God’s mercy and faithfulness [Gen. 9:12-16]).

·         His face is like the sun (this is spoken of Christ in Rev. 1:16).[2]

·         His legs are like pillars of fire (which is similar to the way Christ is seen in Rev. 1:15 and it evokes the pillar of fire by which the Lord was present with and led Israel in the wilderness [Ex. 13:20-22; 14:24; Num. 14:14; Neh. 9:12, 19]).

Part of the reason it is significant we understand this is Jesus Christ coming to John is that it displays that not just God the Father, but also God the Son is sovereign over the accomplishing and application of salvation and judgment, and that in the midst of all the hardship the church faces, this glorious, exalted, mighty, merciful, faithful, Savior is with his people in the midst of our wilderness (our hardships and trials).[3]

We must continually remember that the book of Revelation primarily is revealing to us Jesus Christ, how he is with us, empowering us, and is the source of our salvation, hope, happiness, significance, and security (Rev. 1:1-3, 5-7, 12-20; 5:1-14). Greg Beale, in his commentary on Revelation, asks us this pointed question: “Has a shallow reading of Revelation, with a focus on misguided [end-times teaching], drawn us away from its presentation of the exalted Christ? What has drawn us to focus on (often poorly understood) [end-times] timelines and miss the heart of the book, which is the glory of God and of Christ?”[4]

b. Jesus Christ, Sovereign Over All The World, Brings To John And The Church A Reminder To Proclaim The Full Gospel. 2-3
Here is what John writes: “He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded.”


Because of the parallels with chapter 5, the “little scroll” is parallel with the scroll whose seals Jesus, the Lamb has unsealed.[5] In other words, it has to do with salvation and judgment accomplished and applied in this age. However, it is also somewhat different than that scroll. This one is to be taken and eaten and is both bitter and sweet (Rev. 10:9-10). As we will see shortly, this is the language of the call of prophets in the Old Testament to internalize and then proclaim God’s message. This scroll, then, is not merely the saving and judging events unfolded in this age, but it is a message based on that. That it is a “little scroll” most likely means it is smaller than the previous scroll. It does not equal the decrees of God in regard to the events, but the proclamation to people of what God is doing.

One final description of this little scroll will help see what it is. In Rev. 10:7 it is said of this “mystery of God” that God literally “gospeled [it] to his servants the prophets.”  For New Testament believers, calling it a “mystery” and speaking of “gospeling” it, most likely would make them think of the gospel (Mt. 11:5; Lk. 2:10; 4:8; 1 Cor. 1:17; Eph. 3:2-13 [esp. 6, 7, 8]). What Jesus Christ is calling John and the church to do is to proclaim this gospel, which includes both the diagnosis of the problem (sin that brings God’s judgment) and the remedy (trusting in Christ, his life, his substitutionary atoning death, and resurrection for salvation). This gospel proclamation, and all that emerges from it, are also part of the overall sovereign plan of and outworking of the saving work of Christ (See Rev. 5 and the larger “scroll” [5:1]).

The fact that he set his right foot on the sea and his left on the land reveals his authority and jurisdiction over all the world, but especially over the beastly world system and its servants that do Satan’s work and are viewed later as coming out of the sea (Rev. 13:1ff.). 

Next, we read that Christ “called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring.” Though we do not read until 10:8ff. what he calls out, we do know from the wording here that he is announcing God is on the move in a very significant way—to carry out his purposes and plans (see the following Old Testament background to God roaring as a lion: Jer. 25:30; Hos. 11:10; Amos 3:8). Additionally, since we read, “when he called out, the seven thunders sounded,” this reiterates that this message he is calling us to proclaim is one of divine power and judgment. When Scripture uses the word “thunder,” nearly without exception it brings a message of divine power and judgment (e.g. Exodus 19). Also, in Revelation “thunder” repeatedly accompanies divine activity and messages (e.g., 4:5; 6:1; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18).

c. It Is Clarified That Not All That God Is Doing Is Revealed. 4
In verse 4, following the imagery used in Daniel 12, sealing speaks of a hiding or lack of full revelation: “And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.’” This appears to be a symbolic way of reminding us of what we read in Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” In other words, God reveals some things to us—certainly enough so we know how to trust in and follow him. However, he does not unveil all things. In regard to the current recommissioning, the church knows it faces great hostility in the world, that it should continue the gospel ministry of discipling, and is given much in these chapters about its divine resources and how we can trust in Christ to move forward to God’s glory. However, we do not fully comprehend all about why things are happening the way they are.

d. Jesus Christ Clarifies That Now Is The Time For The Unfolding Of God’s Salvation, Judgment, And The Church’s Proclamation Of The Same. 5-7
Here the apostle writes: 
And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

What we have here is a direct allusion to Daniel 12:7 where we also find an angelic being standing above waters, raising his hands toward heaven, swearing by the eternal God (to show the importance and the certainty of what he is saying will take place). What he is swearing the truthfulness of is his answer to the question in Dan. 12:6, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” “These wonders” refers back to Dan. 12:1-4, where it is prophesied that at the end of a great time of trouble there will be a great resurrection and God’s people will realize their eternal reward. The answer to Daniel is this:  “it would be for a time, times, and half a time….” In other words, it would be for 3.5 years. We discovered when we were in Revelation 7 that this language in Daniel and in Revelation speaks of a time of terrible tribulation and difficulty that brings to the Jewish mind the trouble under Antiochus Epiphanes almost two centuries before the days of Jesus. The fact that Revelation 10:5-7 alludes to Daniel 12:7 (and its context), and includes the words, “that there would be no more delay”[6] (Rev. 10:6) leads us to believe that this time of tribulation has already begun and will be completed at the sounding of the seventh trumpet (which is the final judgment, 11:15-19).[7]

So, Jesus Christ is saying that right now, in this age, now is the time to proclaim the start, continuation, and future culmination of God’s judgment upon sin and sinners, but also that sinners can be forgiven and reconciled to God in Jesus Christ.

As we come to verse 8 and following, we come to the actual commission that Jesus Christ gives to John and the Church.

3. Jesus Christ Commissions John And The Church To Speak The Whole Gospel To All Peoples. 10:8-11
We read: 
Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.”[8] And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”

The Old Testament background to this recommissioning of John is Ezekiel 2:8-3:3, where the prophet was given a scroll (2:9) to eat and it was sweet as honey in his mouth (3:3). Written on that scroll for Ezekiel were “lamentations, mourning, and woe” (2:10). Ezekiel is told to go, not to a foreign people, but to Israel, a rebellious people, who, for the most part, will not listen to him.

Background to this text is also found in Jeremiah 15:15-20. There, Jeremiah speaks to the LORD of finding his words and eating them (16a) and he writes (16b-d): “And your word was to me as joy and rejoicing for my heart, for I am called by your name upon me, Yahweh, God of Hosts” (my translation).  Clearly, this is a commission given by Yahweh to Jeremiah (15:19-20). It appears that in both cases (Jeremiah and Ezekiel) the word is sweet or a joy because it is from Yahweh and he has placed upon them his divine call, to proclaim his word. Yet, in both cases, the call also involves difficult aspects to the message and outcomes (cf. Jer. 15:17-18).

Here in Revelation 10:11 we find out the proclamation is to be made about “many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” Multiple terms for the different kinds of people throughout the world to give a sense of the entire world or all kinds of people are found in Rev. 5:9 and 7:9 of those people whom Jesus Christ has redeemed. In Rev. 11:9 and 17:15 similar terms are used to speak of the entire world or all kinds of people who remain unrepentant and opposed to God. The background to such language for all kinds of people throughout the world is found in the book of Daniel (3:4, 7; 41; 5:19; 6:25; 7:14) to speak of those who are part of the kingdom of Babylon. Here in Rev. 10:11 the focus is on proclaiming the gospel (including judgment and salvation) to all people throughout the world so that some will be part of the redeemed in heaven praising God and the rest will hear their judgment justly pronounced.

It is also true that since the readers of Revelation (especially the church) are called to hear and keep the words of this prophesy (1:3; 22:7, 9), and we see that the messages are to the church in this inter-advent age, this prophesy going out from John after his recommissioning is also against compromisers within the visible new Israel, who are from all peoples and nations and tongues and tribes.[9]

So, what John sees here in Revelation 10:1-11 is a visual commissioning of the church to preach the gospel to the world so that many can come to true salvation and escape judgment. Throughout the book of Revelation it is emphasized over and over again that at the core of what the church is and what it is supposed to do is the gospel ministry. No where in the New Testament is the church every described positively as merely living for itself and not on mission for the glory of God and the benefit of people.

May we live as faithful physicians of the soul, who live to save the lives of others and deliver both the bad news of diagnosis and the glorious good news that there is a remedy in Christ!

Joyfully Serving As A Faithful Physician Of The Soul With You,

Tom

[1] The pattern of the Ezek. 1-3 vision is followed here in Rev. 10:2, 8-10, where the heavenly being like that in Ezekiel holds a book, and the book is taken and eaten by a prophet. This is another indication that the angel is the angel of the Lord, i.e. Jesus Christ.

[2] This is also an exact reproduction of the phrase describing Christ’s transfigured appearance in Mt. 17:2.

[3] Paul even makes the point that God was present with his Old Testament people in the wilderness in the form of Christ (1 Cor. 10:4)!

[4] Beale, Campbell, Revelation: A Shorter Commentary, 212.

[5] More specifically, parallels include: (1) Both books/scrolls are opened and held by Christ (who is compared to a lion (cf. 10:3). (2) Both are allusions to the scroll of Ezekiel and are associated with a ‘strong angel’ who cries out and with God who “lives forever and ever.” (3) Both books are directly related to the end-time prophecy of Daniel 12. (4) In both visions someone approaches a heavenly being and takes a book out of the being’s hand. (5) Part of the prophetic commission of John in both visions is stated in near identical language (‘I heard a voice from heaven speaking’: cf. 10:4 and esp. 10:8). (6) Both scrolls concern the destiny of “peoples and nations and tongues and tribes [kings].”
[6] The verbal parallel between the end of v. 6 (lit. “that there will be any more time/delay”) and 6:11 (lit. “yet a little more time,” which in Greek is much more like the 10:6 clause than we see in English) suggests that the content of the seventh trumpet spoken of here in 10:7 is the final judgment—that brings ultimate salvation and vindication for God’s people (after the number of martyrs has been completed), as well as judgment upon the unregenerate (see also Deut. 32 and Dan. 12 background texts). Also, in part, it shows the judgment comes in response to the prayers of the saints.

[7] Beale, Campbell, Revelation, 204-5, add: “These words [also]…mirror the prophetic words of God to Moses in Deut. 32:40-43, where God swears that He will judge the ungodly. In Deut. 32:32-35, God’s judgment is described as ‘the wrath of serpents and…of asps,’ and one Aramaic version of Deut. 32:33 (The Palestinian Targum) compares the plans of the wicked to ‘serpents’ heads’ and ‘the heads of asps,’ which was a significant image in the preceding context (Rev. 9:19). And in the same passage (Deut. 32:34-35), God says that his judgments are ‘sealed up’ (cf. v. 4) and will be released in due time, as they were in Israel’s subsequent history.”
They add (205-6): “The identification of this time formula from Daniel is evident in Rev. 12:4-6, where the period begins at the time of Christ’s ascension and is the church’s time of suffering (so also 12:14; see on 12:4-6, 14). In the context of the book, this period must cover the church age and be concluded by Christ’s final coming. Therefore, vv. 6-7 are speaking of the end of this period, which is the end of time or of history. The angel told Daniel that the meaning of the prophecy was sealed up until the end time, when it would be revealed. In contrast to Daniel 12, the angel’s oath in Revelation 10 begins an emphasis on ‘when’ and ‘how’ the prophecy will be completed, which is amplified in ch. 11. When the seventh angel sounds his trumpet, the prophecy of Dan. 11:29-12:13 will be fulfilled and history (Daniel’s ‘end of the age,’ 12:13) will come to an end (i.e. historical ‘time shall be no longer’).”  

[8] Most likely the words for John are sweet, not only because they involved the proclamation of the gospel and its outworking, but also because, even in the words of judgment (and most likely this is why the words are bitter in his stomach) God’s glory is manifested. Additionally, as Beale, Campbell, Revelation, 209, write: “the sweetness of the scroll likely includes reference to God’s redemptive grace in the gospel to those believing, and its bitterness to the fact that this grace must be experienced in the crucible of suffering (cf. 2 Cor. 2:15-16).”

[9] Beale, Campbell.

Monday, April 9, 2018

The Power Of Prayer In God's Satan-Defeating Plan (Revelation 8-9)

“If God is sovereign, then why do we pray?”  This often-asked question reveals a mistaken assumption:  “If God has ordained all that will happen, then no event, choice, or action can be changed and so there is no real impact that is seen in and through prayer.” Even if we had no other statements in the Bible that lead us to conclude this is a mistaken conclusion, Revelation 8-9 would be sufficient to do just that. In this lengthy post we will examine closely these two chapters that unveil for us not only the power of God unleashed through prayer, but also the glory and comforting nature of God’s plan he is currently unfolding in the world.

Because this is a long post, don’t hesitate to break it up and go through it in two or three sittings.

Before we look at these two chapters, we need to remind ourselves where we have been so far in the book.

1. Review
After reminding the Church in the first three chapters that with the presence and power of Jesus Christ and in the face of hostile cultures, we are to endure in living on mission, we discovered in the next two chapters that all which is happening in the world during this current age is ordained by God and flows out of the central set of events of all time—the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The unfolding of these events is envisioned by the breaking of seals on a scroll (or book) that signifies the unfolding of history in the sixth chapter. After the sixth seal is broken, there is an interlude in chapter seven to show that in the midst of the brokenness and trials in this current world, genuine followers of Jesus are protected from being destroyed in the ultimate way (that of facing the judgment of God by falling short of their eternal reward).

Revelation 6:12-17, the opening of the sixth seal, has brought us to the very end of this age and to the final judgment of God. It is because of this that 7:1-17 takes a step back to show that genuine saints are protected against this judgment.

2. The Bridge From The Seven Seals To The Seven Trumpets[1]
Revelation 8:1 brings us to the seventh seal. We read there: “When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.” This is the first break in the continual worshiping in heaven we have seen so far in Revelation. The quiet may be due to the fact that the unfolding of events in this age has positioned us at the coming of Jesus Christ, and silence in the presence of our holy Lord and in the face of catclysmic events (especially judgment) is very appropriate (see Hab. 2:20; Zeph. 1:7; Zech. 2:13). The silence for about a half an hour (a short period) may also remind us that during this age it can appear that God is delaying the coming of our Savior, but the reality is that it is certain to happen.

What the seventh seal consists of is the unfolding of another set of seven actions, this time the blowing of seven trumpets. We read of this in 8:2: “Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.” Yet, before these angels blow their trumpets (see 8:6-9:21), which take us through another view of the unfolding of events in this current church age, the vision reverts back to the subject of the final judgment (the focus of 6:12-17, just prior to the interlude). We read in verses 3-5:
And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, 4 and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. 5 Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

The phenomena on the earth we see in verse 5 speak of the time of God’s final judgment on the earth and of sinners (cf. Acts 2:19-20; Rev. 6:12-17). Yet, notice that this judgment is pictured as being poured out of a censer from the altar whose smoke and fire are mixed with the prayers of the saints. Since this takes place at the altar in the heavenly temple and we saw souls under that same altar in 6:9 praying for justice in the world and judgment upon persecutors, we are intended to conclude here that God’s final judgment upon sinners comes, at least in part, in response to the prayers of his people.

We might ask the question, “But if God has already decided to bring this final judgment, how can saints’ prayer have an impact?” Now, if we stop and think about the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, we see another example of praying for something God has promised he would bring (his full kingdom, Mt. 6:10a). Just what are we to make of this all?

We must understand, as 17th century Christians put it, “God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatever comes to pass; yet has done it in such a way that God is not the author of sin; the will of the creatures is not violated or passed over; and the genuine possibility of various outcomes or choices included in second causes is not removed, but rather established.”[2]  In other words, God works through means and agents who make genuine choices that matter!  As we have discovered over and over again since Revelation 4, God is both absoutely sovereign and we are genuinely free in and responsible for our choices.

So, for example, though we know that if we are genuinely saved, we will persevere and receive our eternal reward (see Rom. 8:29-30), nevertheless, God works through and in response our praying so that we can persevere. Likewise, we know that God has either ordained that our neighbor will trust in him as Savior or not. Yet, we also know that our neighbor will not trust in Jesus Christ as Savior unless someone prays for him (cf. Eph. 6:19; Col. 4:2-6) and he comes into contact with the gospel so he can respond in faith (Rom. 10:13-17). So, if we pray for and share the gospel with our neighbor (or someone[s] does) he might trust Jesus. If we or no one else does, he will not. Choices and actions matter, for God ordains not just the end results, but also the means behind what happens.

So, what Jesus Christ reveals about our triune God through John is that he is soveriegn to bring about the ends he has ordained, he can and does direct the course of history (including choices), and he also answers prayer. In fact, if he were not soveriegn in this way, that is, directing history’s course, and also able to direct hearts and wills, he would not be able to answer prayer! God’s absolute sovereignty, properly understood, is not an impediment to prayer or gospel work. Rather it should serve as an encouragement for prayer and gospel work.  

As we pray, then, for the fulfillment of God’s kingdom and his promises, as well as full justice and judgment in this world, we are certain that a day is coming when God will answer those prayers and all peoples and nations will either be subdued by his grace to worship him (Is. 25:3; Rev. 5:9-10) or they will face God’s judgment (Rev. 10:11; 11:19).

What an amazing truth: God responds to our praying in carrying out his plan!

Once we grasp this, we are now ready to move on and look at the further unfolding of God’s plan as envisioned in the first six trumpets.

The First Six Trumpets

In Revelation 8:6-9:21 we see the blowing of the first six of the seven trumpets that flow out of the seventh seal. We discover, then, what God is doing in the world during this current age and in response to the prayers of his people to execute judgment on the persecuting world—leading up to the last judgment.[3] It seems as if the Exodus plagues (Exodus 7-12) and the trumpets of Jericho (Joshua 6) serve as the background to these trumpet judgments.

What is envisioned in the first four trumpets are events of history that are packed with biblical significance. In other words, they are strongly tied into Old Testament events and signify that God deprives the ungodly of earthly security due to their persecution, rebellion, and idolatry, and does this in order to indicate their separation from Him. Here is what we read in 8:6-12:
Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter.
12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

We can say the following about these four trumpets:
·         Exodus 9:13-33 (seventh plague in Egypt) and Ezek. 4-5 (judgment of Jerusalem because of idolatry) stand behind Trumpet 1.

·         Exodus 7:14-25 (the first plague in Egypt) and Jer. 51 (Destruction of Babylon) are behind Trumpet 2. “Mountain” in Revelation tends to speak of kingdoms or nations and here is based on the mountain of Babylon in Jeremiah 51 which is destroyed in God’s judgment. 

·         Famine is probably involved in the first three trumpets.

·         Several passages seem to be behind the third trumpet: Ps. 78:44; Is. 14; Jer. 9:15; 23:15; Amost 5:7. In Amos 5:7, as God, through the prophet, confronts Israel in her sin, he describes them as those who “turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth.” Wormwood is a plant native to Europe, Asia and northern Africa and that has a bitter-tasing and poisonous extract. The point in Amos is that Israel, rather than acting justly and righteously, they are acting in a bitter and poisonous fashion—deserving of judgment! The point of the third trumpet, then, is in the same way people have acted poisonously and bitterly (rather than justly and righteously), so their just desserts will be poison and bitterness.

·         The fourth trumpet is similar to what we see of the sixth seal in Rev. 6:12-13 (final judgment), but it does not deal with the whole earth and so is not final judgment, but only a precursor to it.

·         The fourth trumpet is also a logical climax of the first three and it has Jer. 15:9; Amos 8:9; Joel 2:1-10; Zeph. 1:15-16; Is. 13:10; Ezek. 32:7-8 behind it.

·         The parallelism of the first four bowls (Revelation 16:1-9) with the first four trumpets confirms that the judgments in both series come because of idolatry (Rev. 16:2). Yet, they also occur in response to the persecution of the saints (Rev. 16:5-7).

·         Commentator Greg Beale adds: “The Exodus plagues are understood in Revelation 8-9 as a typological foreshadowing of the trumpet plagues, whose effect is escalated to the world now.”

These first four trumpets show that the events of history (esp. in this inter-advent age) are not spiritually neutral. They flow out of the life, death, resurrection, ascension, session of Jesus and the working out of God’s salvation history—as well as the world’s response to all this—and God’s just response to the world’s cross-defying, resultant evil.

In the fifth and sixth trumpets we discover that demons are commissioned by the angels blowing the trumpets to punish hardened unbelievers (8:13-9:21). It is also made clear that ultimately God is the one who has ordained the actions of these demons and so we see his sovereignty even over the most evil dimension of our world.

In Rev. 8:13 we have a new vision that comprises the introduction to the fifth, sixth, and seventh trumpets: “Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew directly overhead, ‘Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!’” The Exodus model is still in view since plagues get more severe as they go. The spiritual heightening of the last three trumpets is indicated by the direct involvement of demons  Flying in mid-air elsewhere refers to flying creatures that anticipate final judgment  (14:6; 19:17; cf. 18:12). Even beyond this, eagles often signal coming destruction in the Old Testament (Dt. 28:49; Jer. 4:13; 48:40; Lam. 4;19; Ezek. 17:3; Hos. 8:1).

In Rev. 8:13 we also are introduced to the reality the final three trumpets are each referred to as a “woe.” This is seen in, “Woe, woe, woe…at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow.” This is also seen in 9:12 (“The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.”) and 11:14 (“The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come”).[4]

In the fifth trumpet (9:1-12) demons are commissioned to torment hardened unbelievers by further impoverishing their souls and reminding them of their hopeless present and future. When the fifth angel blows his trumpet, here is what we find: “and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit” (9:1). Since this star is the same or similar to what we see in 8:10 (an angel representing sinful people and undergoing judgment along with them), since the star is a being that can open the bottompless pit, since the Old Testament background is Is. 14:12-15 (the fall of the Babylonian king as a type of Satan), since Jesus uses almost identical language to speak of the fall of Satan (Lk. 10:18), and since Satan is said to be king over the demonic locusts that this star unleashes from the bottomless pit (9:11), it seems most likely this start is a fallen angel (i.e. a demon).[5]

Given the strong liklihood the fallen star is a satanic angel who will inflict judgment on unrepentant humanity, readers gain an ever-expanding view of the sovereignty of God in Revelation. He is even sovereign over satanic and demonic activity, using it for his glory and purposes. The reader of Revelation dare not miss the later picture of an angel coming down from heaven, holding a key in his hand to the bottomless pit in 20:1—and the picture there of Satan being bound for a thousand years before being released. Here, in 9:1-14f., this angelic being opens the pit and eventually frees evil angels. The point seems to be that their activity is fully under the sovereign control of God! That God is sovereign over the activity of even these evil angels (demons), is additionally supported by the structure of Revelation. It is the Father and the slain-and-risen Lamb who are sovereign over and who are unfolding all the events of this age that include what we see in the seals (Revelation 4-6)—seals which give way to the trumpets (8:1-5). The point is unmistakable, that God has decreed the events we see here.

In verse 2 we see smoke arise from the opened bottomless pit: “He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft.” In the Old Testament smoke suggests God’s holy presence and, as such, the judgment that comes upon those who do not worship and follow him (Gen. 19:28; Exodus 19:18; Dt. 29:20; Isaiah 6:4; Nah. 2:13).

In verses 3-11 we see locusts unleashed upon the earth that signify demons. Because they emerge from the bottomless-pit at the ultimate bidding of God and with the smoke, they are serving as God’s agents of judgment. In these verses we read: 
Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. 4 They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5 They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. 6 And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
7 In appearance the locusts were like horses prepared for battle: on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; 9 they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.[6]

As I have studied Revelation these past few years and seen the vast Old Testament background behind what we read at almost every point along the way, I have become even more convinced we are not to try and understand these locusts by looking around us at military weaponry (e.g. helicopters) or anything else we might imagine existing in the future that they might represent. Rather, we are to see how these visions emerge from the Old Testament and how they are used in context here in Revelation. Their Old Testament backgrounds are found in the eighth plague unleased on idolatrous, rebellious, persecuting Egypt (Exodus 10:1-20) and in the book of Joel, where we see locusts as judgment upon those who falsely profess faith in the true God. The vision of these locusts is intended to communicate that during this current age one of the things God is continually doing is revealing his wrath against sin (cf. Romans 1:18) through demons.

There is no doubt that Jesus has defeated Satan and his demons and this has tremendous potential to strengthen and encourage genuine Jesus followers in the face of satanic hostility (cf. Rev. 12). Yet, for those without Jesus Christ and without his Spirit, there is no protection. Satan blinds their eyes to the truths of Christ (2 Cor. 4:4), they face the great dragon, Satan, and these demons who permeate the entire world, with no armor and no protection (Eph. 6:10-18). As they give into him more and more and give him more and more of a place in their lives, he destroys them that much more (Eph. 4:26-27). Though there can be strong and visible displays of demonization (e.g. Mark 5:1-20), much of the work of Satan and his demons is also behind the scenes and unknown to those who are not spiritually empowered or illuminated (cf. 2 Cor. 4:4; 11:14; Eph. 6:10-13).

Just one of the many examples that could be offered of how this can happen is through alcoholism and narcotics addiction. Being under the influence of such substances is the opposite of being filled with the Spirit of God and thus directed by him (Eph. 5:18). The strong connection between the activity of Satan, demons, sorcery, and being under the influence of other substances (which give even greater openness for the work of Satan and demons) is seen in the Greek work for “sorcery” or “witchcraft” (pharmakeia [see Gal. 5:20; Rev. 9:21; 18:23]). It is the word from which we get our word for pharmacy or pharmaceuticals. In part, this arises from the strong, consistent, and multifaceted use of drugs in sorcery. When we look around us at the widespread devastation that comes from alcoholism and drug addiction (consider our present opioid crisis!), there should be no doubt that there is an enemy behind this who seeks to devour and destroy.[7]  

The way that the material in Revelation 6-20 works is that what is taking place can serve as trials and discipline in the lives of genuine believers, as well as judgment upon those who do not worship and follow the true God and Savior. There is also room for people to repent and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior in the midst of these events (and even motivated by the strong demonic activity [cf. also Mk. 5:1-20; 2 Cor. 4:4, 6]). After all, the 144,000, which is also the great innumerable multitude redeemed from all the nations (see Rev. 7:1-9f.), also comprises those “coming out of the great tribulation” (Rev. 7:14). In other words, in a context of this strong, devastating demonic activity, many people will turn to Jesus Christ as Savior, realizing he is the only remedy for and salvation from sin and the great enemy!

In Revelation 9:12 we have a transition from the fifth to the sixth trumpet: “The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.”

Revelation 9:13-21 tells of the sixth angel and what happens when he blows his trumpet, and it also takes us right up to the interlude between trumpet six and trumpet seven (10:1-11:14). The main activity we discover is that demons are commissioned to judge hardened unbelievers by ensuring the final punishment of some through deception until death, leaving the deceived remainder unrepentant. In verses 13-21 we read the following: 
Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, 14 saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15 So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 17 And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths. 18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.
20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.[8]

What we find in the sixth trumpet is God commissioning demons to carry out judgment, just like we saw in the fifth trumpet. Whereas in the fifth trumpet the emphasis was upon pain, destruction, and hopelessness among those who refuse to turn to the true God, the emphasis in this sixth trumpet is on the increase of deception that the demons bring about among the unrepentant, a deception that is not only their just desserts, but also confirms them in their unbelief and prepares them for ultimate judgment. We see that deception is the emphasis here in the following ways: 
·         First, we are told that “the power of the horses is in their mouths” (19). Perhaps, if we did not have such strong evidence surrounding this statement that focuses upon the messages they advance, we might think the picture is of horses biting. But this is not the case. It is on what they say.

·         Second, we read that “the power of the horses is…in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound” (19). In other words, the horses (which make us think of demons going forth in battle) are snake-like beings, who wound with not just their mouth, but also their tale. This may confuse if we are trying to read this literally. Snakes do not wound with their tales. The point of the vision is that these demonic hordes wound like the ancient serpent did in the garden and just like he has done since then—through his lies, his deception (cf. Gen. 3:1, John 8:44; Rev. 12:9). These demons deceive people and apart from the sovereign, powerful, and regenerating work of God in the hearts of people (2 Cor. 4:6; Titus 3:5-6), they will stay in blindness and never see their need for Christ (1 Cor. 2:13-14; 2 Cor. 4:4). We must not miss that for these people to believe the lies that lead to more deception, deeper blindness, and deeper spiritual death, is part of their just desserts.

·         Third, in verses 20-21, we learn that those who are the focus of this demonic activity are blinded and deafened just like the demonic idols they worship. This emphasizes a theme in Revelation and throughout the Bible—namely we become like what we worship and this includes the inability to hear and see our need for the true God and Savior and a lack of desire to repent and trust in him. This strongly suggests what is going on is deception upon the hearts and minds of these unbelievers.[9]

Why?
What we see, then, in the first six trumpets is that during this current age God is continually revealing his wrath and judgment for the sin of idolatry, rebellion, and the persecution of his own people. He is doing this, in part, by commissioning demons to bring destruction and deception upon the earth, which comprise the just desserts mankind is bringing upon himself. What is also clear is that God is not only unleashing these events (which could include natural disasters, but also and mostly war, human trafficking, addictions, false teachings, harsh governmental regimes [as we’ll see later in Revelation], destruction of the family, and destruction of marriage, and other forms of social injustice, et. al.) in response to the prayers of his people for justice, he has also decreed them as the absolutely sovereign God who is over all the universe.

This leads to a very important question: Why would God ordain such events? The ultimate answer is found in a pattern we see elsewhere in the Bible, namely, God has ordained sin and its outcomes (hard hearts, pain, suffering, and judgment) so that he could put his grace and mercy on display to an extent that is far greater than without such things—and in a manner that angels and people make genuine and responsible choices (see God’s dealings with Egypt and their Pharaoh in Exodus 3-14, as well as Paul’s statement in Rom. 9:22-23). When we apply this pattern, this way of thinking, to God’s ordination of the work of Satan and his demons in this age, what we discover is the most likely answer to our question is that God has ordained that he would permit these actions so that it intensifies the struggle between Satan, demons, and God, and highlights that much more the glory of God’s grace, mercy, goodness, and his power.

What we are left with in our daily experience is that though we cannot explain why certain horrific things in the world are happening—especially in relation to each individual impacted (is it trial, discipline, or judgment?), we do know at least that the world is the way it is because God has ordained it; it is also broken and not in accordance with God’s holy moral will; we face a formidable set of enemies in sin and Satan, and yet God is far greater; God is answering the prayers of his people and as such, these prayers are greatly impacting history; God is not overlooking the pain, suffering, and evil in the world, for he is revealing his judgment on it currently, and will bring ultimate judgment and justice in the future—making all things right; in the midst of it all, we can trust God in the face of great hostility, pain, and suffering; and we can be assured that God will keep his promises to us and will glorify himself in it all.

One of the great gifts that God gives to us in Revelation, especially in the seals and trumpets, is that he shows us at least in a big picture way why things are the way they are and assures us that all the attributes of God that Scripture reveals continue to be true of him now and always. So, we can trust him!

Delighting In The Power Of Prayer In God’s Plan With You!

Tom











[1] These five verses (8:1-5) serve as both a conclusion to the seals (vv. 1, 3-5) and a transition to the trumpets (v. 2). We see this same kind of phenomenon in 15:2-4, where the beginning narration of the following plague series is temporarily interrupted by a continuing description of the final judgment scene in 14:4-20. These verses cover the final judgment and demonstrate that this final judgment (and even the trumpets that flow out of this text) is in response to the saints’ prayer in 6:10.

[2] Westminster Confession, 3.1 (“Of God’s Eternal Decree”). Some of its language has been updated.

[3] Both assertions in this sentence are made based upon contextual grounds. In regard to the prayer it is the immediate context of Rev. 8:1-5. In regard to the focus being on this current age it is the numerous indicators of this we have already seen in the first seven chapters.
The seven trumpets stretch from 8:6-11:19 and comprise the second cycle or view of this current age we find in Revelation 6-20. We find an interlude between trumpets 6 and 7 in chapters 10-11, as we did between seals 6 and 7 in chapter 7. The more carefully we look at the details of the entire book, the more we see it is tightly put together, intentionally structured, and truly does recapitulate through this current age and progresses in the vision of this age with each cycle.

[4] That the statement on the second and third woes does not come until the end of the interlude (11:4), shows the parenthetical nature of 10:1-11:14.

[5] This is also validated elsewhere in Revelation, since stars can represent angels (albeit good angels: 1:16, 20; 2:1, 8, 12, 18, et. al.) and by the reality the bottomless pit is the place of Satan and his demons (20:1-7).
[6] Some of the key points we should not miss in these verses are as follows: (1) The mixing of appearances (locust, scorpion, human, women’s hair, lion, horse) is typical for apocalyptic literature. The point is to heighten and emphasize their distorted and monstrous character. (2) The sting or hurt that comes like a scorpion is intended to convey and emphasize the painful nature of what they do. (3) That their destruction is not on all the earth or all mankind without exception (v. 4) conveys this is not the final judgment. It is what is happening before that time. (4)That people want to die and cannot, simply gives a picture of the devastation and hopelessness many can be in. Their lives are a mess and they feel like they’d be better off dead. (5) The five month period of the destruction of the locusts appears to communicate two truths. To begin, since a normal locust swarm would last a few days (and yet at the same time, many swarms could be seen as long as five months), there is a sense in which these demonic armies torment for a long period of time throughout this age. Yet, the other truth intended is probably this: Five months is relatively short compared to the other time spans in the book (3.5 years, 1,000 years, eternity). So, a point may be that there is a limited period this will take place. There will come a time when mankind will  no longer deal with Satan and demons (cf. Rev. 20:7-15). Also, for any one individual, the sufferings of this present life are not even worthy to be comared to the glory that will be revealed in us—making them seem, in one sense, light light, momentary afflictions (Rom. 8:18; 2 Cor. 4:17). (6) The main focus of this demonic activity is those who are not Jesus followers (v. 4). As we will see below, this does not mean demons have no impact or influence upon believers (cf. Eph. 6:10-18; Rev. 12). It does mean that the main focus here in trumpet five is the impact upon the unbelieving world. (7) Verse 11 is a fitting summary for what we see happening here. The main point in this trumpet is that God commissions Satan and his demons to destruction upon those who refuse to trust in and worship the true God. Their judgment, then, is they are reaping their just desserts as their death leads to more death.

[7] By this I do not mean that every alcoholic or drug addict is demon possessed or that they have consciously opened themselves up to demons or the occult. There are different degrees of demonization that range all the way from the influence and oppostion demons can carry out against believers (e.g. Eph. 6:10-13) all the way to full-blown possession (and everything in between).
[8] Some of the key points we should not miss in these verses are as follows: (1) That a voice comes from the the four horns of the golden altar before God, telling the sixth angel to release the four angels bound at the river, most likely is intended to tie this sixth trumpet back into the transition from the seals to the trumpets (8:1-5) and ultimately to the prayers of the persecuted and martyred saints for justice (6:9-10). It is another indication that what God is doing in this current age is not only flowing out of his eternal decrees, but also in response to the prayers of his people. (2) The larger context suggests the voice is coming ultimately from God himself. He has decreed these events. (3) The release of four angels bound at the river Euphrates not only calls readers back to Old Testament history and how enemies multiple times came from the direction of Babylon, but we also find parallel between this sixth trumpet and also the sixth bowl judgment (16:12), emphasizing again the recapitulating nature of these chapters. (4) That these are evil angels is seen from the parallel to Rev. 16:12 (see especially 16:14) (5) That these evil angels have been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year (v. 15) emphasizes God’s sovereignty and his decree behind what is taking place. (6) The gigantic size of this demonic army (200 million) is, on the one hand, not as large as the innumerable great multitude of the redeeemed in 7:9. Yet, on the other hand, the size is intended to convey to the reader that this is no merely human army. Rather, it is an army of demons that stretches across the globe and influences all kinds of people. To say it is a formidable enemy is a gross understatement! (7) The mixed appearance of horses, soldiers, sulfur coming out of mouths, tails like serpents (vv. 17-19) is intended to highlight the monstrous and distorted nature of these demonic beings that are unleased on mankind. (8) Fire, smoke, and sulfur in the Old Testament depict God’s judgment (see esp. Genesis 19). Just like with trumpet five, so here, God has commissioned demons to bring judgment upon rebellious, idolatrous, persecuting mankind. (9) That only 1/3 of mankind is killed shows these events are not part of the final judgment, which will be all-inclusive, but rather precedes it.

[9] We should also not miss that many during this age will be killed as a result of this blinding and deafening work of demons (v. 18), but not all will be (v. 20). Yet, even among those who are not killed as a result of this demonic activity, they will not repent and believe apart from the sovereign grace of God!