Revelation for Beginners

REVELATION AND MAY 21, 2011

There seems to be a spike in interest in end time events lately, perhaps because of the natural disasters occurring. In the current (April 2011) Reader’s Digest there is an ad stating “The Bible guarantees the end of the world will begin with Judgment Day, May 21, 2011.” I can guarantee that will not take place on that date. How can I be so sure? Let me explain . I have watched this type of prediction come and go through the years, and each time I say the same thing–it isn’t going to happen. The danger in predicting such a date is that it becomes a little like the boy who cried “Wolf!” But since each time he did so he was just joking, eventually no one believed him when a real wolf actually did appear. The organization behind this message is based in California, and according to a news article on CNN, they have actually organized bus caravans to different parts of the country to warn everybody what is coming. They apparently maintain that on May 21 the rapture will take place to be followed by 153 days of death and horror before the world actually ends on October 21. Keep in mind that the same leader of this group also predicted the same thing for September 6, 1994. They are no doubt sincere in their belief and their zeal is commendable. Yet in Romans 10:2 the apostle Paul commenting on some people of his day stated, “They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.” So what does the Bible actually have to say about this?

A previous post about 2012 and the hype associated with it is relevant to this date also. The Bible in Matthew 24:26 gives the definitive statement about this concept of predicting dates. Jesus is speaking: “But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” Still later, as recorded in Acts 1:6, 7, the disciples asked Jesus after His resurrection if He was going to set up His kingdom at that time. His response was, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.” Those references seem pretty clear, don’t they? Revelation gives no dates regarding the time for the end of the world. So how does this group deal with this? Their response is that “the rules have changed now.” Really? Who decided that? In Malachi 3:6 God says, “I am the Lord, I do not change.” Well, they will say, the book of Daniel has been unsealed and new truths revealed. That statement is true, but not as they apply it. The book of Daniel has been unsealed, and there are some dates prophesied (especially in Daniel 7-9), but none that pinpoint the date of the return of Christ. I plan to start a new category soon on how Daniel and Revelation relate to and explain each other and will go into more detail then. I have studied these books for a number of years and never have found a text giving the date for the end of the world.

One other item to note. This group, according to the CNN article, also believes that the elect are predetermined. If that were true, they why bother proclaiming their message–those who are going to be saved have already been selected and it matters not what others do, since they couldn’t be saved anyway.

The consistent message of Jesus Himself was always “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.” Matthew 24:44. And if I should die tonight, that would be the same as the end of the world for me. So while we may know that His coming is near “even at the doors,” (and I do believe it is near) it is not for us to know specifics. We are simply admonished to be in right relationship to God at all times. Then the timing is irrelevant as far as our personal salvation is concerned. The most important thing? “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3

REVELATION AND THE MIDDLE EAST

What’s going on in the Middle East these days? As I write this (April 4, 2011) two countries have already gone through turmoil and regime change (Tunisia and Egypt), another is in the throes of war (Libya) and there is unrest in several other countries as well. Where will this end? Does Revelation have anything to say about it?

First of all, if someone is expecting to find a blow-by-blow account of last day events in Revelation, documenting every war and uprising, they will be disappointed. Revelation does talk about the final war (Armageddon) but not every one preceding that. For example, we have had many wars in the last 100 years–WWI, WWII, the Korean War, and the Viet Nam war. In the Middle East itself, in recent years we have seen two Arab-Israeli wars (in 1967 and 1973), a war between Iraq and Iran, the Gulf War, and the Iraq war, not to mention the war in Afghanistan, the Israeli-Hamas conflict in Lebanon, etc. With each war there were some who thought this was Armageddon or leading up to it.

Jesus tried to prepare us for these events when He said, as recorded in Matthew 24:6-8: And you will year of wars and rumors of wars, See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” It remains to be seen just where all this current unrest in the Middle East will end up.

Two topics often come up when the Middle East is discussed in its relation to the end time events–Armageddon, and the role of Israel. I will explore those two in separate posts. A third topic often discussed relates to the antichrist. That is a more complex topic and I will get into that at a later date. I will also begin posting on the book of Daniel in the near future. If you are concerned or worried, keep in mind what Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2:21: “He (God) removes kings and raises up kings.” So God has the last word. And no matter what happens, He will be with His people. And He is preparing something much better than what we have here. What a wonderful God!

REVELATION AND ISRAEL

Israel is often in the news. Currently (May 2011) Israel is reported to be concerned about the unrest in its neighboring Arab countries. Some expect a major war over Israel. Does Revelation say anything about Israel? It does, but not in the way commonly interpreted. Entire books have been written on the subject, so this can only be a very brief overview of the topic. Israel is mentioned in Revelation 7:4 and 21:12, and alluded to in chapter 14. I will come back to those, but first some background.

We have previously stated that Revelation borrows much from the Old Testament, so we need to understand some of that history if we are going to come to correct conclusions in Revelation. We go back to Abraham, who is considered the “father” of Israel through his son Isaac. Of course, the Muslims also consider Abraham the “father” of their religion through his son Ishmael. But we only find the term Israel when we reach Abraham’s grandson, Isaac’s son Jacob. God had promised (“in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”–Genesis 12:3)that the Seed(Christ) would come through a son to be born to Sarah (Genesis 17:19).

Jacob was afraid for his life, expecting his brother Esau to try and kill him for cheating him out of his birthright. He had sent his family on before him on this trip to his homeland. He was left alone to probably pray about his situation when a man suddenly appeared. We speak of Jacob wrestling with an angel all night. Eventually Jacob’s hip was put out of joint and we pick up the story in Genesis 32:26. The angel says “‘Let Me go, for the day breaks.’ But he said, ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me!’ So He said to him, “What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’ And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.'” Jacob commented later, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

This is the first mention of Israel. Note that he didn’t receive that name because he was a biological descendant of Abraham, but because of the special spiritual relationship with God that he had developed. Keep that in mind, because the spiritual will always be more important than the literal/biological relationships. Esau, for example, had the biological relationship, but not the spiritual one, and did not receive this name symbolizing this experience. Jacob had now acquired the kind of faith and character that his grandfather Abraham displayed.

God had promised Abraham to make of him a great nation. That began primarily at the time of the Exodus when God delivered Israel (the descendants of Jacob through his twelve sons) and set up what we call a theocracy–that is, God was the direct ruler of Israel. They had no king to rule over them as other nations did. God directly led them (through the cloud that directed them in the wilderness) and disciplined them. Later He used judges and prophets to speak for Him. It was during the time of Samuel the prophet that they clamored for a king like other nations had. God warned them about the problems but let them have their way. Some of the kings were faithful to God, but the majority were not. Eventually the nation was split in two, with 10 of the tribes forming the northern country of Israel and 2 forming the southern kingdom of Judah. But things went from bad to worse. Israel ended up being taken into captivity by the Assyrians, and Judah was eventually taken over by the Babylonians. The sad record is found in 2 Chronicles 36:14-17 (regarding Judah, but applicable to the northern tribes as well): “Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the Lord which He had consecrated in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God,, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy. Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans….”

While in Babylon, Daniel had prophesied (as recorded in chapter 9, which will be more fully explained in a category “Revelation and Daniel”) that the Jewish nation would have a period of 490 years of probation, beginning in 457 B.C. and ending in 34 A.D. In the middle of the final 7 year period, the Messiah would be cut off (i.e. crucified), that is, in 31 A. D.

Jeremiah had prophesied that they would be held captive in Babylon for 70 years. This turned out to be accurate, and the Israelites(the remnant of Judah, actually) were permitted to return and rebuild Jerusalem. It seemed hard for them to find balance. Before the captivity they had become too “liberal,” becoming idolatrous, etc. After their return they went to the opposite extreme and became ultra conservative and exclusive. That’s when Jesus arrived on the scene.

Jesus tried to restore Israel to God’s true purpose for them, but without success as far as the leadership was concerned. He had pointed out their hypocrisy and other failings, and that didn’t set well with them. He also hadn’t met their expectations as to what a Messiah should be. He tried to show them the primarily spiritual nature of His kingdom, but they didn’t seem interested. They wanted a Messiah who would physically drive out or obliterate the Romans. Finally, it got so bad that Jesus said to them just before His crucifixion, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'” Matthew 23:37-39. In Mark 14:62-64 it says that when Jesus foretold His coming in the clouds of heaven that the leadership accused Him of blasphemy and worthy of death. The leadership had rejected Jesus and thus their position as a nation in a theocracy directly under God. Their probation had nearly ended, and was finalized a few years later (about 34 A. D. as mentioned in Daniel 9) at the stoning of Stephen.

But what about all those promises God had made to Israel through the years? Were they no longer valid? Let’s see what the New Testament has to say. It is the best interpreter of the Old Testament.

In Acts 13:44-46 Paul has preached in a Jewish synagogue to both Jews and Gentiles. “And the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.”

So what about Israel now? If the nation itself has been rejected, who inherits the promises? And can the Jews still be saved? Paul makes some very important statements about who Israel really is. For example, “For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called.’ That is , those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.” Romans 9:6-8. In 1 Corinthians 15:50 he makes a general statement that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God…” So the emphasis is on the spiritual, not the literal. He further states in Romans 2:28, 29: “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.” Paul summarizes it nicely in Galatians 3:29: “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.” So if you have accepted Christ as your Savior, then according to these texts you are the true “Jew” and part of the people who will receive the promises and inheritance.

Does that mean that Jews can’t be saved? No, not at all. In Romans 12:1 Paul reminds us that he himself is a Jew. But his argument is that it is not his biological inheritance that entitles him to the promises and inheritance, but rather his spiritual inheritance that is determinative. That’s why Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again. His biological inheritance was no good. It would be his spiritual inheritance with a new spiritual Father that would now make the difference.

But what about the Jewish state of Israel? There may be good political reasons, even moral ones, to support the state of Israel in the middle east, but not prophetic ones. Our policies toward Israel should not be based on Old Testament prophecies which are no longer valid for that nation now, according to the New Testament. Those have been transferred to God’s true people no matter where they are. Has the Christian church now taken Israel’s place? Not as an institution or denomination or even as a group simply called by that name. The Christian church through the centuries has not always lived up to Christ’s calling. It is rather applied now to all those people who are true followers of Jesus Christ no matter what organization they belong to (or even if they don’t), or where they reside. They are all over the world, and will one day be gathered together to meet the Lord in the air and reside with Him for eternity.

Coming back to Israel in Revelation, there are only three times the word appears. Revelation 2:14 is simply a historical reference to the occasion when Balaam taught king Balak how to lead ancient Israel into immorality so as to bring God’s disfavor on them (when Balaam was not allowed by God to curse Israel). This is not literal Israel in the end time–it is merely telling us we need to learn lessons from ancient Israel’s experience.

The second reference is Revelation 7:4-9. It refers to a sealing of God’s people in their foreheads, 144,000 in number, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Is this literal or spiritual Israel? Here are some thoughts why I believe it is the latter and is not referring to literal Jews from the political state today. First of all, in verse 4 it John says he heard this number mentioned, but in verse 9 when he looked, he saw a multitude no man could number. Secondly, the tribes listed are not the original 12 tribes of Jacob. The tribes of Dan and Ephraim are left out. Joseph and Levi are in their places. Besides that, the 10 northern tribes merged into the population around them during their Assyrian captivity and were never returned to their homeland intact like the ones from the 2 tribes in Judah (after their captivity in Babylon). The number 144,000 seems arbitrary and unusually exact if it is literal. It would seem to be difficult for modern Jews to trace their ancestry to a specific tribe. The weight of evidence, to me, suggests a symbolic number.

The third and final time Israel is stated in Revelation is in chapter 21:12, where it says the 12 gates in the New Jerusalem are named after the 12 tribes of Israel. But keep in mind, there are thousands, maybe millions, of followers of Christ who cannot trace their biological ancestry to one of the 12 tribes of Israel, yet everyone goes into the city through one of those 12 gates. Which one do you think you will go through?! Some have suggested they represent different character traits. But whatever the case, It is not our biological ancestry that determines our destiny, but our spiritual ancestry, thus the necessity of being born again like Jesus told Nicodemus, so we can claim God as our spiritual Father, and thus receive our inheritance by virtue of our relationship with Jesus. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Romans 8:16, 17. Note that it says nothing about being literal Jews. To repeat Paul’s statement in Galatians 3:29, “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.”

The book of Revelation says nothing about a war against political Israel in the Middle East. We have had several wars over there, yet none of them was prophetic other than in the general sense of many wars in the end time. Armageddon is not a war of Russia against Israel. But that is another topic.

To summarize this short overview, Revelation does not describe the final war as political Israel being the target. (Spiritual Israel will be, as we shall see in another posting). So while there may be political reasons for supporting Israel, it should not be because of some specific Bible prophecy compelling such a policy. The important thing for us today is that we belong to Christ and thus are heirs of God, and will one day walk through one of those gates into the city of God prepared for His people.

HOW WILL THE WORLD END?

I recently read a feature online entitled, “How is America Going to End? Top 144 Scenarios.” Unfortunately, not one of the 144 listed the true Biblical picture. I confess to being surprised. I thought surely at least one would suggest the Biblical model. But what, then, is the Biblical model? Actually, the Biblical model includes not just America, but the whole world.

The most popular view is that God’s people will be raptured (caught up to heaven) secretly–it won’t be known till after the fact, as planes and cars crash without pilots or drivers, etc., (thus it is sometimes called the “secret rapture”). This is followed by 7 years of tribulation and finally the 2nd coming of Jesus. He comes to earth and reigns during the millennium (1000 years).

The fact is, the Bible knows nothing of a secret rapturing of the saints. But doesn’t it say, “One will be taken and the other left”? Matthew 24:41, 42 do mention that, but the verses say nothing of it being a secret event. Some have assumed what the text does not state. The only rapturing (catching up) of the saints described in the Bible is a very noisy and visible happening. Note 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” Note that there is a shout, a voice, a trumpet, a resurrection, and Christ does not settle down on earth, but rather we are caught up to meet Him in the air and go to be with the Lord. This harmonizes with Jesus’ own words in John 14:1-3, when He said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Note that the places He is preparing are in His Father’s house, not here on earth at that time. He comes back to receive us to Himself, in the air as Thessalonians stated, to take us back to heaven to be with Him where He is. In addition, Jesus described His coming this way in Matthew 24:27, 31: “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be…And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

But, someone says, what about the Bible statement that His coming will be like a thief in the night? (Matthew 24:43) It does say that, but it still doesn’t say it will be secret. In fact, when Peter uses that same phrase, it is in the context of a catastrophic meltdown (2 Peter 3:10): “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” That doesn’t sound very secret, does it? There is a great noise and even the elements start melting. Fortunately, God’s people have been caught up to meet Jesus in the air, so they don’t have to suffer through this burning. Revelation 19:11-21 adds to this picture, portraying the enemies of Christ being cast into the lake of fire “and the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse.”

The idea of all this is that His coming has an element of surprise. If you knew that a thief was coming to rob your house on a specific night, you would have the police waiting to arrest him. Unfortunately, it doesn’t usually work that way–he comes at a time when he is not expected. And that is the major point Jesus consistently makes when He says, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.” Matthew 24:44. While His coming is expected because of His promise, the exact time has not been revealed, in spite of man’s best efforts to figure it out. But we wouldn’t use that information wisely if we did know, so Jesus simply tells us to be ready at all times–He will come at a time we don’t expect. And if I should die tonight, that is the same as if He came again, as far as my lifetime of probation is concerned, thus the need to always be ready.

It was mentioned earlier that we are caught up to meet Him in the air–He doesn’t settle down here at that time. Thus Revelation 20:6, “they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” We have already shown that that will be in heaven. Meanwhile, Satan has been bound during this thousand year period (v. 2, 3) “that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.” Since they are all dead, destroyed at Christ’s second coming, and the saints have gone to be with Jesus during that time, Satan is stuck here in solitary confinement to brood over his coming judgment. Remember that there are two resurrections according to Jesus in John 5:28, 29: “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth–those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil , to the resurrection of condemnation.” We saw in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 that the “dead in Christ” were resurrected at the beginning of the 1000 years when Jesus comes to get His saints to live with Him for the 1000 years (i.e. the resurrection of life). Revelation 20:5 says that “the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.” Now what?

Apparently the New Jerusalem with Jesus and His saints have come back to this earth at the end of the 1000 years as John saw in Revelation 21:1. Two things happen then. Revelation 20:7 says “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison…” What does that mean? It seems that now those who “did not live again until the thousand years were finished” are now resurrected (the resurrection of condemnation we read about in John 5:29) so Satan “will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.” Thus we know that the New Jerusalem is now on earth and Satan and his followers apparently plan to conquer the city. At this time all people who have ever lived are in one place at the same time. The saved are inside the city and the lost are outside the city. There are only these two classes. At this time the final judgment and execution take place as the Book of Life is revealed to everybody (see verses 11-15 of Revelation 20). The righteous, of course, have already been judged worthy and are inside the city. The wicked now see God’s justice and fairness in their cases and they see why they were excluded. But finally verse 15 states, “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Verse 9 had already foretold their fate: “And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.”
In Matthew 25:41 Jesus had said this fire was originally “prepared for the devil and his angels.” But Revelation 21:8 adds that “the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murders, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” This is the sad and tragic end for so many and ultimately the final extermination (the second death) from which there is no resurrection. This death is the result of the intense burning. Now the devil and all his followers are no more. There is a clean universe–no need to shy away from some forbidden eternal hell location. Malachi 4:3 says the burning results in ashes. However, Revelation 21:1 describes “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.”

The rest of Revelation goes on to describe the glorious new earth and city God is preparing for His people. He will live with them and there will be no more crying, pain, death, etc. It will be glorious and bright and we can live forever with One who so loved us He gave His life so that we might live with Him forever. God longs for us to be among those who will be forever saved. It is still our opportunity now to respond in love and trust to such an incredible and awesome God.

REVELATION AND EBOLA

“Ebola.” The very word seems to strike fear in our hearts. Perhaps the high fatality rate and sometimes gory effects make it seem worse than other diseases. It may lead some to wonder if this is one of the seven last plagues (Rev. 15:1) described in Revelation 16. While this could be a foretaste of things to come, I don’t believe it is one of the seven last plagues at this point and here’s why.

First, it doesn’t seem to fit the “loathsome sore” description. The 7 plagues are also part of an apparent sequence, and judging by the context, they happen just before Jesus comes in the clouds to take His people home. Chapter 14 talks about the fall of Babylon and final harvest of earth. Chapter 16:19 refers to Babylon’s fall again and then expands on it in chapter 18. I believe these events are still future. There will be real plagues that will be the most awful scourges known to man, but this is yet to come.

Another perspective on this situation is that more people die from the flu in the United States than have died in Africa from Ebola. In the flu pandemic of 1919, over 20 million people died worldwide (about 560,000 in the U.S.) compared to around 4-5000 from Ebola so far as of this writing. The bubonic plague, known as the “Black Death” in the 1300s destroyed 1/4 of the population of Europe. (see World Book Encyclopedia) I would suggest that the 7 last plagues may well be of a similar nature and scope.

Generally God mixes His judgments with mercy to encourage people to repent, but during the 4th and 5th plagues it says the people blasphemed God and did not repent. It would appear this is what Revelation 14:10-12 refers to as God’s wrath poured out “full strength”, i.e. not mixed with mercy. That would imply that Revelation 22:11, 12 is being fulfilled–all decisions have been made and now God’s judgments are now poured out. Fortunately for us, that hasn’t happened yet. We still have the opportunity to repent, forsake our sins, and receive God’s forgiveness and transforming love (His extreme makeover!).