Bible Study | Revelation 9

Posted by The Lieutenant on January 26, 2012

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‘fast away the old year passes’ | 2011 SCC Highlights

Posted by The Lieutenant on December 28, 2011

"Will you join in our crusade; who will be strong and stand with me? Somewhere beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see? Do you hear the people sing, say do you hear the distant drums? It is the future that they bring when tomorrow comes!"

With 2011 drawing close to an end, it is important to reflect back on the year’s highlights in the life of our Spryfield Corps Community. Into our second full year as Spryfield Community Church and Family Resource Centre, we’ve been pushing forward, seeking kingdom growth in all we do. Here are some of this year’s highlights.

• A new outreach program called “Soulstep” was started that focuses on physical health and spiritual well-being. An aerobics class for ladies, Soulstep provides a fact-paced intense physical workout all set to exciting Christian music.

• Several new people were added as perspective members of the Corps Council (our church governance committee). These members include Gary Kidston, Vannie Makin, and Janet Musabyimana.

• Plans were made to celebrate our fifth year in ministry (in 2014) when the invitation was extended to our Territorial Commanders to come to our anniversary weekend. In May of 2014, Commissioners Brian and Rosalie Peddle will be leading us in our anniversary celebrations.

• Under the leadership of Gary Kidston, a new men’s prayer group was started on Monday nights. In an age where ‘prayer meetings’ are sadly becoming a thing of the past, the men of Spryfield know the importance of prayer when it comes to the life of our church.

• An adult bowling league was started that meets once a month. A great fellowship initiative!

• Nine new adherents were added to the roles. To God be the Glory! Several new families are coming to the church and getting involved in church programs.

• It is my own assessment as a pastor, that more members of Spryfield Community Church are seeking greater maturity in their faith. There’s good attendance at our Bible Studies and more people are getting serious about their faith life.

In the coming year we will have many challenges to overcome, but we can take a moment to rejoice at this year’s blessings poured out to us from our Heavenly Father. We are still a small fellowship and we need to take seriously the Lord’s command to go into all the world, making disciples of all nations. May God richly bless you in 2012. May you grow closer in your relationship with Him. Lieutenant Hannah and myself wish you every blessing.

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Christmas Toy and Hamper Day

Posted by The Lieutenant on December 16, 2011

Katimavik Volunteers helping us out on our Christmas Distribution Day

December 14 was our Christmas Toy and Hamper distribution day where we, by God’s strength, helped hundreds of Spryfield families have a better Christmas.

Many thanks to our corps/church volunteers, the students from JL Highschool, our Katimavik volunteers and the two special folks who organized the entire day – Bill and Rona Bowers.

Everyone did such a great job serving God and his church. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

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Bible Study | Revelation 8

Posted by The Lieutenant on November 17, 2011

The Seventh Seal and the Seven Angels with Seven Trumpets

Bible Study

Revelation 8

(Adapted from the work of Christopher C. Rowland, in his commentary on the Book of Revelation, NIB Commentary V. XII)

The Seventh Seal and the Seven Angels with Seven Trumpets

1:  When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

The opening of the seventh seal brings silence in heaven – a marked contrast to the noisy praise that John has encountered in his vision around the throne. This is an opportunity to pause, and as the words of Psalm 46:10 suggest, “Be still, and know that I am God!” Silence is a characteristic of heaven, and it is from this mysterious silence that we come to understand the mystery of God. The silence in heaven serves to add to the sense of anticipation. Something profound is going to happen after the silence ends.

2:  And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given them.

John now sees seven angels standing before the throne of God, and seven trumpets were given to them. The act of the trumpets being given to them suggest a more passive role for the angels; it is God who is in total control here and every act of his judgment is orchestrated by him.  The trumpet blast is a symbol of alarm (Joel 2:1) in the face of God’s awesome power and presence (Exodus 19:16).  The trumpet blast in the prophetic book of Joel symbolized Joel’s commission as a prophet and ascent to heaven. This trumpet blast however has doom-laden consequences.

3-5:  Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne.  And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.  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.

Before the trumpets are blown, another angel stands at the altar, holding a golden censer with incense (see also Luke 1:10-11). This angel offers to God the prayers of the saints. The smoke of the incense mingles with the prayers of the saints and rises up into God’s very presence. Just as John discovered that the cries of the martyred souls are heeded by God, so also he can see that the prayers of the saints reach God in heaven.  The prayers of the saints are efficacious, meaning that they are able to effect something. Our prayers effect the very presence of God.

The angel takes the censer, fills it with fire from the altar and throws it to the earth. This results in a heavenly commotion similar to the one that occurred in 4:5 concerning the vision of God’s throne.  In 8:5 there is also an earthquake. Whether the rising up of prayers to God is the thing that causes the commotion is unclear. But there is a natural counter-balance between the prayers of the saints reaching heaven, and the heavenly censer being smashed up on the earth, bringing to earth those things which until now were only seen in heaven.

6-7:  Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets made ready to blow them.  The first angel blew his trumpet, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were hurled to 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.

The words translated as “hurled”, in Greek are ballo (throw) and pipto (fall), which both suggest a downwards movement.  The goings-on speak of a divine action toward the earth.  The trumpets herald a series of downward movements, linking heaven and earth in a chaotic and destructive way: hail mixed with blood; a mountain of fire; a star from heaven given the keys to the abyss.  Similarly, the seven last plagues involve angels pouring out bowls filled with God’s wrath.

Until chapter 21:2, when the New Jerusalem descends to earth from heaven, anything and everything that descends to the earth will be experienced by people as God’s judgment. John’s message, which is from heaven, offers hope – but only to those who repent.

The first trumpet brings hail mixed with blood, which is cast upon the earth. This action occurs also in Exodus 9:32 and Ezekiel 28:22. The coming together of hail and thunder, lightning and earthquakes is often linked with an appearance of God – called a theophany.  Now, one third of the earth will be destroyed.

8-9:  The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea.  A third of the sea became blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

When the second angel delivers his trumpet blast, a great fiery mountain is cast into the sea, similar to what will happen in 18:11 when Babylon is destroyed.  The sea turns to blood; this has devastating consequences of life in the sea and for people who make their living by the sea. Historians note that if John was writing after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius which occurred in 79 AD, this event might have coloured John’s description of what he was seeing in heaven.

10-11:  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.  The name of the star is Wormwood.  A third of the waters became wormwood, and many died from the water, because it was made bitter.

The third trumpet blast leads to a third fiery “bolt” from heaven, this time a star burning like a torch, with fatal consequences for rivers and springs. Contrast this with the end of John’s vision where all thirst is quenched from a spring of living water created by the One who created the waters. John names this start “Wormwood” (mentioned once in Amos 5:6-7 and 6:12). In the Amos reading, justice is made into ‘wormwood’ meaning that justice is made bitter.  John’s “Wormwood” the earth’s waters bitter and many die as a result.

12-13:  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 was darkened; a third of the day was kept from shining, and likewise the night.  Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew in midheaven, “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets that the three angels are about to blow!”

The fourth trumpet blast leads to a third of the sun being “struck”. Throughout the series of the trumpet blasts, their effects occur on a third of creation. Similarly in verse 12, one-third of the sun, the moon, and the stars are afflicted, bringing darkness upon the earth. In Amos 8:9, these events are linked with the “Day of the Lord”.

In verse 13 there is a proclamation of woe by an eagle to all the earth’s inhabitants who are about to experience the consequences of the last three trumpet blasts. The earth’s inhabitants seem to be clueless as to what is going on. They will gloat over the death of God’s witnesses (11:10), they will worship the beast (13:8), and they will become drunk with the wine of Babylon’s fornication (17:2). The angel of Philadelphia (3:10) received this similar warning as to what to expect in the coming time of trial.

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Bible Study | Revelation 7

Posted by The Lieutenant on November 11, 2011

Bible Study

Revelation 7

144,000 Sealed and a Vision

of the Great Multitude

(material adapted from the NRSV Bible Commentary, Volume 12)

1:  After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on earth or sea or against any tree.

At this point in the vision, 5 seals have been opened and there is an interruption in the process of breaking open the seals which later resumes in 8:1. John sees a vision not of death, but of a great gathering of praise. An angel stands at each of the four corners of the earth (remember, the ancients pictured the world as having four corners, almost like a blanket). They prevent the wind from blowing and harming the earth. Normally, a wind would not bring damage to the earth itself, but it suggests that the restraint that have been taken off God’s angels and Satan is bringing chaos to the natural order of things. This angels’ job is to protect the earth from the chaos until Israel’s chosen have been sealed.

2:  I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to damage earth and sea,

Another angel ascends from the rising sun. The use of the word ascend (anabaino) in Greek, signifies an important moment in Revelation: note John and the witnesses’ ascent in 4:11 and 11:12; the emergence of the beast and his ‘ascent’ in 11:7, 13:11 and 17:8; and the ascent to God’s presence of all the prayers of the saints in 8:4.

This angel holds a seal of the living God and cries with a loud voice to prevent the four angels from releasing the winds to harm the earth. The phrase “loud voice” often pretains to heavenly commands (10:3, 14:15, 18:2, 19:17) or to God’s elect who offer loud praise and worship to God (6:10 and 7:10).

3:  saying, “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.”

The reason for the delay in releasing the destructive winds is to allow time for the angels to “mark” the servants of God with a seal on their forehead. This is similar to Ezekiel 9:4-5 where a mark is placed on the heads of those who groan over the abominations of the city while a man in white linen kills those who do not have the mark. Persons who have the mark are spared the torment of the locusts in Rev 9:4.

The act of ‘sealing’ is a metaphor for God’s divine favour, and is found elsewhere in the New Teastment: Ephesians 1:13, 4:30 and 2 Corinthians 1:22. John’s writing however is not to be sealed.

4-8:  And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the people of Israel:  From the tribe of Judah twelve thousand sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand

from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand,

from the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand sealed.

John hears the number of those sealed and begins to offer a list from “every tribe of the people of Israel” one hundred and forty-four thousand in total. The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible uses the word “people” though the original Greek uses the word (hyioi) which means “sons”.

The 144,000 is composed of people from every tribe of Israel. The Jewish identity of this group is indicated by the fact that there is another multitude mentioned in verse 9 of people that come from every nation, suggesting that 144,000 mentioned in verse 5 refers strictly to Jewish people. The exact number (144,000) suggests that it is a remnant of the children of Israel who have been sealed.

Interesting to note that if we compare the list in verse 5 with the names of the sons of Jacob in Genesis 35:22; 49, we note that Dan is absent from the list in Revelation and Manasseh is included. Also, Ephraim, the other son of Jospeh, is excluded. Normally such lists would start with the firstborn son, who was Reuben. But John gives preferential mention to Judah, the tribe of the Messiah (Isaiah 11).

When people number things it is usually to measure the success of human endeavours (i.e. “Canada added 144,000 jobs in the first quarter.” But when God numbers his people, it’s to show possession, a sort of census of the full complement of God. It indicates his sovereignty, he is in control of all things, rather than human accomplishment.

9-12:  After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom

and thanksgiving and honour

and power and might

be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

In addition to the 144,000 from the children of Israel who were sealed, there is another group, “a great multitude.” No mention is made of the group receiving a seal, so they do not seem to be given the protection offered the group marked with God’s seal. The exactness of the 144,000 sealed from Israel contrasts with the countless host “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages,” which John sees.

The crowd is distinguished by its identification with the Lamb, and its status is proud and defiant. The crowd stands before the throne. The Lamb is now in company with those around the throne. The great multitude is clothed in white. They hold palm branches in their hands as if they were celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles (Lev 23:40), or like the poor and pitiful crowd who welcomed Jesus the humble king into Jerusalem. In ancient times, the palm branch was a symbol of victory. The crowd in v. 10 sings with a great voice about God’s salvation. Ascribing salvation unto God is another link with the Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (“Hosanna” means, “the Lord saves”). In the passover Sunday story, the Pharisees complained that the whole world “had gone after him” (John 12:19), an ironic foreshadowing of this great robed multitude before the Lamb and his throne.

In the Gospels, the references to crowds indicate they there were a special concern in Jesus’ ministry. This crowd in Revelation sang a similar song to the crowd that greeted Jesus on what we call “Passover Sunday”. However, unlike the crowd in the gospels that later turned against Jesus, this crowd in Revelation will not turn away from the Lamb. The cry of salvation in v. 10 may echo the “Hosanna” in Psalm 118:21, 25.

13-17:  Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.  They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

John is asked a question by one of the elders about the vision. We must remember that John has only seen the great multitude and heard the number of those being sealed. It could be that the elder was asking John the question rhetorically, so that the elder could then enlighten John by providing an answer, or as one of the great multitude and himself a martyr, John may know as much about them and their experience as does the heavenly elder. Therefore it is appropriate that John be asked who they are and from where they have come. Later in the vision, John will be reminded that he is in no way inferior to the angel that he feels compelled to worship (19:10)

The exact meaning of the “great ordeal” is unclear. It could refer to the coming time of tribulation or indeed the “Great Tribulation” talked about my bible commentators over the centuries. Regardless of its exact meaning, John is offered a prophetic glimpse of those who have made it through the time of trial, particularly as a result of resisting the pressure to conform to the beast and resisting the allure of sinful Babylon.

The washing of the robes in blood to make them white is an example of an oxymoron, or seemingly contradictory ideas. Another oxymoron is the lion who turns out to be a lamb (5:5-6). The multitude has washed their robes in the blood of the lamb. In 12:10, Satan defeat is engineered only by the lamb’s blood and by the testimony of the faithful. Therefore, a Christian conquers by engaging in the faithful testimony of Jesus, and being prepared to forsake everything else. This includes resisting Babylon, which has gotten drunk on the blood of the Jesus’ witnesses. So washing one’s robes in the blood of the Lamb not only identifies one Jesus but also means abstaining from the way of the beast. It means that one will be prepared to face discrimination and death for the sake of the Word of God and the witness to Jesus.

The sacred service that is described at the climax of John’s vision in 22:3 is priestly. The righteous will see God face to face and live. The name of God will be written on their foreheads and they will enter into God’s very presence – something we cannot experience fully in this life. God is described as hovering over his people as the Spirit hovers over Jesus at his baptism.

Freedom and hunger and thirst and the heat of the sun will no longer be a worry for those who are faithful to Jesus. They will be protected only because the Lamb is at the center of all things. In an reversal of roles that appears almost humorous, the Lamb will be a shepherd to people in stead of people being a shepherd over a Lamb

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Bible Study | Revelation 6

Posted by The Lieutenant on November 3, 2011

Agents of the Devil or of God? The Four Riders of the Apocalypse.

Revelation

Chapter 6

1-2:  Then I saw the Lamb open one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures call out, as with a voice of thunder, “Come!”  I looked, and there was a white horse! Its rider had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering and to conquer.

• The white horse comes first. The rider on the horse is similar to the rider in 19:11 and for that reason can be held apart from the other 3 horsemen. Debate exists as to whether this rider is Christ because Christ has already appeared as the Lamb who opened the seals. But this debate fails to take into account that Christ can appear in all forms simultaneously in this apocalyptic book. Apocalyptic writing is not neat and tidy narratives; they’re more like canvasses where the paint is just thrown on again and again. In Revelation, Christ appears as a Lamb, a fiery heavenly being, as well as through his angels.  This is an image of Christ, the white horse rider, standing beside another image of Christ – Christ the slaughtered Lamb.

• The rider has a crown like the elders (4:4), the woman in 12:1, and the Christ-like angel in 14:14. The use of the word ‘bow’ here is unique in Revelation. It is used in Ezekiel 1:27-28 by the prophet as he tries to explain the glory of God before him. The colour white (the colour of the rider) is associated with God or Christ (1:14; 19:1, 14; 20:11) and the followers of the Lamb (3:4-5; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9, 13-14; 19:14).

• The rider on the white horse could also symbolize the ‘gospel’, the proclamation of salvation that also includes judgement on sinners and evil institutions. The white rider goes forth to ‘conquer.” Nothing here is mentioned about death and destruction. This activity is closely related with the casting out of Satan, an account found in John 12:32, a process completed when Jesus cries in John 19:30, “It is finished.” The cross becomes the moment when the Lamb, standing as if it had been slaughtered, opens the heavenly book of judgement and takes a place on the throne of glory. So how does the rider ‘conquer’ with only the message of the gospel?

3-4:  When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature call out, “Come!” And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another; and he was given a great sword.

• If first rider, the white rider conquers with the “Gospel” message, the second rider has a more sinister role. Its colour matches that of the dragon that persecutes the woman in 12:3. Where the first rider was given a bow, the second rider is given a sword and permission to remove peace from the earth. Peace is not a word found that frequently in Revelation. But the word peace is not the peace associated with Jesus and God. The word peace refers to the peace or stability imposed on the world by the beast, in which the merchants are able to buy and sell men and women into slavery. This peace instilled by the beast is like the peace or stability that Germany experienced between when Hitler came to power and the start of WWII. There was “peace” in Germany allright, but it was enforced with brutality and oppression. The red rider will destroy the ‘peace’ of the beast and free those caught in oppression.

5-6:  When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature call out, “Come!”  I looked, and there was a black horse! Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand, and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s pay, and three quarts of barley for a day’s pay, but do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”

• The opening of the 3^rd seal welcomes the rider on the black horse, a colour only used to describe the conditions when the sixth seal is opened and the sun turns black. This rider is holing a pair of scales, though the term scale may also refer to a yoke or burden laid on a person (slavery). This is a metaphor for the coming deadly hunger that will befall the wicked nation of Babylon. Babylon in Revelation does not refer to the ancient country mentioned in the Old Testament, but is a symbol of all the countries that turn their back on God to follow the beast or the devil.

• The horsemen’s expression, “A quart of wheat for a day’s pay, and three quarts of barley for a day’s pay, but do not damage the olive oil and the wine!” reflect how terrible economic conditions have become. Imagine, just a quart of wheat for a full day’s pay! This suggests a coming time of rampant inflation With the Greek debt crisis, and the global recession that we’re still not clear of us, it makes one wonder how much worse it could get when the horsemen does unleash the Lamb’s judgement.

7-8:  When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, “Come!” I looked and there was a pale green horse! Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed with him; they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and pestilence, and by the wild animals of the earth.

• The name of this rider is death. Even its colour (in the NRSV translated as a pale green) suggests death and destruction. This pale colour is used in 8:7 to describe scorched grass. According to 1:18, death has already been overcome – and the fear of death should offer no peril for those who are faithful. They will participate in the New Jerusalem, where death will be no more. Hades, the repository of the dead, over which Christ has power, accompanies the rider and will be thrown into the lake of fire (20:14).

• So this rider who brings with him death, trial, and destruction, is not of the devil, but is agent of God. The rider is acting in God’s authority. A quarter of the earth is to suffer death and famine. This imagery of wide-spread famine is found Jeremiah 14:12; 15:2; 21:7; Ezekiel 5:12; 14:21; 33:27. The death mentioned here is physical death which in the book of Revelation doesn’t really matter a whole lot – it’s spiritual death, or going to Hell, that is to be avoided. When this rider comes, the threads of society will begin to unravel (perhaps this is already happening?). However, proper order will be re-established in the New Jerusalem, for there no one will hunger or thirst anymore and death will be destroyed. Proper boundaries will be put in place so that “unwelcome animals” will be excluded (22:15). The Lamb’s wrath will unravel the threads of society that held it together – the threads that held a wicked society together perhaps I should add. The current world order is now under the Lamb’s judgement and wrath; it will be replaced by a new order with different values.

9-11:  When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given; they cried out with a loud voice, “Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?”  They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow servants and of their brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed.

• In the opening of the 5^th seal, the creatures no longer summon it by saying, “Come!” A different scene now confronts John. He sees under the altar the souls of those slaughtered for sharing the word of God and the testimony they had given. The altar which is in Heaven appears again in 8:3, where the saints once again are featured. An angel stands on the altar with incense that accompanies the prayers of the saints. The cry to God in v. 10, “Sovereign Lord” is uttered for the first time in Revelation but is mentioned elsewhere in Luke 2:29. Do you see any similarities between the blessing of Jesus by Simeon, and the cry of the saints under the altar in Revelation? “Sovereign Lord” is a cry for vindication and judgement.

• John sees “souls”. In Revelation, the “soul” is the essence of a person as is implied in Matt 10:28. John sees disembodied souls who cry for vengeance. They are ‘naked’ (because later they receive white robes). Their cry is also in protest against their naked state which is a shameful act. Their cries are answered by the awarding of white robes. The souls under the altar are told to rest. The promise of rest is given to those who will be faithful to Jesus until the very end (Hebrews 11:40). The saints under the altar have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.

• The idea that their rest would continue until the number of saints (destined to be killed in tribulation) were killed is a theme found throughout the New Testament. Paul in Romans 11:25 claims that there are a number of Gentiles who have to come in before all Israel will be saved. In this passage, a limit is set on the time of persecution and destruction that will be visited upon God’s people.

12-17:  When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and there came a great earthquake; the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree drops its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.  The sky vanished like a scroll rolling itself up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.  Then the kings of the earth and the magnates and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

• Cataclysmic events occur when the sixth seal is opened. An earthquake, the darkening of the sun and the moon, stars falling from the sky, and the heaven’s being rolled up. In the Bible, thunder and earthquakes often appear together (8:5). The turning of the moon to blood is a direct fulfillment of the prophecy given by Joel in Joel 3:4, and is also part of the Pentecost prophecy given in Acts 2:20. The image of falling stars is a prophetic reminder that those who are “stars” (men and angels who are exalted before others) may find themselves cast down by the Son of Man, falling from their high and lofty positions, as Lucifer did when he was expelled from Heaven.  Similar events occur in the life of Jesus. During the death of Jesus, Matthew and Luke report a darkening of the sun and an earthquake: Matt 27:54; Matt 27:45; Luke 23:45. The death of Jesus was an apocalyptic event. The crowd’s reaction to his death in Luke 23:26-30 bears similarity to Revelation 6:16.

• In the midst of all this upheaval we find a unique focus on the powerful human inhabitants of the earth: the kings, magnates, generals, the rich. In our language today we might say, “Presidents, Prime Ministers, Judges, Legislators, CEOs, etc.” Although the slave is mentioned as well. Clearly, no one, either from the ranks of the elite or the powerless can escape the wrath of the Lamb. No one is released from judgement who chooses to side with the beast. The people’s reaction to the wrath of God is to hide in the face of the oncoming apocalypse. Mountains and caves, or places of safety will prove utterly incapable of hiding those trying to flee from the judgement of God.  Yet there is hope: the last question asked in verse 17, “Who can stand?” or “Who can stand in the face of God’s judgement?” is answered by the promises given to the churches in the preceding chapters. God people can stand! God’s people will withstand the judgement of God. God’s people will not only be able to stand on the Day of the Lord, but Revelation also promises that they will conquer. In 2:11 it tells us that “He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.”

Sum-Up

Christian writer Philip Yancey recalls a terrible real-life story that occurred in North Korea during the 1950s. The communist regime was anxious to put an end to Christianity which it regarded as superstitious and anathema to the communist ideology. In one particular Christian village, government soldiers forced all the villagers to assemble at gun point. The decree was announced that anyone who did not denounce their faith would be run over and crushed by a steam roller. No one moved. No one denounced their faith. One particularly cruel commanding officer rounded up all the children, made them lay on the ground, and said to the parents. “Denounce your faith! Or your children will die.” The parents hysterically burst into tears, tried to rescue their children, but to no avail. And yet, no one denounced their faith. As the steam roller begin to crush the children, the adult villagers who knew they were next began to sing hymns. At this terrible moment of pain and death, the Christians knew that they would be reunited with their children in heaven. They had nothing to fear from the soldiers or from death itself.

It is precisely these people, these saints, who will rest under the altar of God as told in Revelation 6:9-11. They will be delivered from the pain of this world and rest in the safety of God’s altar where they will be given a white robe. When times of persecution come, and they will come, remember to stand with courage, certainty, and hope. The Lamb has promised us that if we are faithful to him, not only will we survive the Lord’s judgement, but we will conquer.

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Bible Study | Revelation 5

Posted by The Lieutenant on October 31, 2011

Revelation

Chapter 5

1-2:  Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”

• John is focused on the one seated on the throne who holds in his right hand, the churches, or the seven spirits of God. Contrasting imagery is found in the description of the people who bear the mark of the beast, which is located on the right hand. Having the mark of the beast on your right hand excludes you from being able to sit at the right hand of the one seated on the throne – the Lord God Almighty.

• John sees a scroll that is written on inside and on the back, reminiscent of the creatures in Revelation 4:8 who had eyes covering the front and back of their wings. This imagery suggests that the scrolls contain much wisdom.

• The scroll or ‘book’ features very prominently in Revelation. John’s commission is to write a book; in 10:8 he will be commanded to eat a book. Key to the theme of judgement are the books (20:12), especially the Lamb’s Book of Life where the Greek word “biblos” is used (what does this word sound like?). The opening of books results in a narrative of what John has seen and heard.  A powerful angel asks all of Heaven and Earth, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”

3-5: And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.  And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.  Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

• No one, in all of creation is found who is worthy to open the scroll and read the contents of the letter.  Earlier in the Gospels, Jesus assures his disciples that their names are “written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). John on the other hand, is tasked with writing a heavenly book (the book of Revelation) but he is not worthy to read one (i.e. the scroll). However, John writes about the actions in heaven that arise from opening the scroll so the one who reads his book is considered blessed (1:3) because the book of Revelation witnesses to the mysteries of heaven.

• Earlier in the vision, John was terrified and overwhelmed with fear. Now, it’s time to put fear aside and to react. After the mighty angel asserts that no one can open the scroll or its contents, John weeps.  John is starting to get invested in the events of the story as they unfold before him.  Why does John cry? John weeps because the Lord’s process of judgement and justice is being delayed. One of the 24 elders around the throne, addresses John for the first time and tells him not to weep. Similar in structure to the command given earlier by the Son of Man: “Do not be afraid (1:17).” The elder continues, “for the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered.” The image of a lion is used in 4:7; 9:8, 17; 10:3; and 13:2. The tribe of Judah features very prominently in the story of the Messiah. When the 12 united tribes of Israel split into two kingdoms, the 10 northern tribes formed what was called the ‘Northern Kingdom’ and the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin formed the Southern Kingdom. The capital of the Northern Kingdom was the city of Samaria. The capital of the south was _____________? (Jerusalem). The ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom were lost to history, lost to invaders and ravaged by predatory nations. They don’t even exist on a map. The southern kingdom was virtually wiped out as well, but Jerusalem acted as a powerful centre to God’s people. Scattered though they were – Jerusalem would always be home. The Judah and Benjamin survived as a regional home to the Israelites because of the strong connection to Jerusalem, the home of the Temple.

• Judah is being remembered here because it is the tribe that spawn King David and much later, Jesus of Nazareth – Israel’s true Messiah. The word Judah is where we take the name “Jew” from. So the little tribe of Judah has come to assume the identity of the entire Jewish race.

6-10: Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. They sing a new song:

“You are worthy to take the scroll

And to open its seals,

For you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God

Saints from every tribe and language and people and nation;

You have made them to be a kingdom and

Priests serving our God,

And they will reign on earth.”

• After the voice cries out that no one is able to break the seals, John sees precisely the one who can. A lamb appears, standing as if it had been slaughtered. The lamb emerges in the middle of the throne and in the middle of the four creatures and in the middle of the elders, to open the book. The unclear position of where the lamb exactly is standing speaks to the fact that the lamb is an intermediary. Someone who goes between God and Man, between heaven and earth.

• The Lamb is an apocalyptic image of the Messiah. The idea that the blood of the Lamb is the means of redemption appears elsewhere in 1:5; 7:14; 12:11; and 19:13. It also calls to mind images of the Passover, where God’s people were saved from death by splattering lamb’s blood on their door posts (Exodus 12:22-23).  Verse 10 shares a great similarly with 1:5-6, “To him, who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father.” There’s even a similar passage found in the Exodus story, further strengthening the link between these two passages: “Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.” (Exodus 5:9-10)

• The identification of Christ as the Lamb is a critical point in John’s story. It is a critical moment of deliverance. The world has literally been turned upside down. The universe is shaken to its core when the Lamb appears.  John’s description of the lamb suggests death. The lamb’s slaughter, a fate shared by saints and prophets (6:9; 18:4) is an act of redemption.  In describing the Lamb as having seven horns, John sets up a comparison with the dragon (12:3) and the beast that will arise from the sea (13:1). The eyes are associated with the throne of God; these are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth”

• The lamb takes the scroll (he needs no permission) and the act of taking the scroll elicits praise from the elders and the four living creatures. The elders are now holding a harp and golden bowls of incense. John offers an interpretation of them as the prayers of the saints. The elders sing a new song. “New Song” suggesting a new segment of the salvation story. The right to take the scroll is based on the lamb’s slaughter – Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins – that gives him the right to take the scroll. The consequence of taking the scroll is the liberation of all God’s people, “…from every tribe, tongue, and nation.” The Lamb’s role is an active one, where Christ is no longer a passive victim but the agent of deliverance. This results in the establishment of a new kingdom of priests who will reign on the earth.

11-14: Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered

To receive power and wealth and wisdom and might

And honor and glory and blessing!”

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

“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb

Be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”

And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshipped.

• John begins his description with the expression, “I saw”, which is very typical of apocalyptic writing. John sees the full array of the heavenly host, countless angels who surround the throne, the creatures, and the elders, described in 4:10.

• The song of the Lamb includes a list of what the lamb is worthy to receive. It is worthy to receive true wealth – the wealth that comes through Son of Man’s purchasing of gold that was refined by fire (3:18). Even though the Lamb’s wrath will be coming soon, it seems that in this instant, the whole universe “on earth and under the earth and the sea, and all that is in them” is recognizing the Lamb for who he is: Christ Jesus the Lord.

• For secular writers and historians in Jesus’ day, the execution of Jesus of Nazareth was of virtually no concern. John’s Revelation tells us however that the slain lamb will one day return to rule triumphantly with the One who sits on the throne. It is the shed blood of the lamb that provides atonement for sin.

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power

Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?

Are you fully trusting in his grace this hour

Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?

Are you washed? In the blood? In the soul cleansing Blood of the Lamb?

Are your garments spotless are they white as snow?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

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