Revelation (Written)

Friday, 4 December 2020

After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Revelation 7:1

The words now arrive at the beginning of Chapter 7, and immediately there arrives a brief interlude between the opening of the sixth and seventh seals. “After these things” shows a progression of thought and time. And so, what is coming now is sequential to what has occurred with the other seals. Whether it is sequential to John only, meaning he is being shown these things one at a time even though they overlap, or whether the events of the opening of this seal are sequential to the previous ones is uncertain. However, the events coming through verse 8 are most likely at the beginning of the tribulation period and so the first option seems correct.

With this option probable, one can see the error in thinking of those who hold to a “mid-tribulation,” or “pre-wrath” (or even post-tribulation, and etc.), view of the events. Taking these events as purely chronological in order to justify one’s position on the timing of the rapture is unsound. Rather, the scenes are most probably categorical, even if some logically happen in a chronological order (such as the releasing of the four horsemen).

The proper way to evaluate the timing of the rapture is to do so from the writings of Paul who first conveyed the mystery of the rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51), and who then further explained the timing of eschatological events in 1 & 2 Thessalonians. To understand the timing of those events, a short explanation was given on the Superior Word commentary of Revelation 6:2.

With this understanding, John begins with, “After these things.” This most likely means, “After the things I just saw,” not “And what will occur in the future will happen after the things that have been seen.” This is the next logical event to be revealed as a category. In this, John says, “I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth.”

This is not intended to mean that the Bible proclaims a square earth, it doesn’t. In Isaiah 40:22 the Bible speaks of the “circle of the earth,” meaning an orb, not a cube or flat square. In the book of Job, the Bible says that the Lord “hangs the earth on nothing.” The four winds then, like other references in the Bible, merely speak of the four general directions of the earth; not set points.

John says these angels are “holding the four winds of the earth.” As is consistent, the number four here matches the overall use of it in Scripture. The number is defined by EW Bullinger saying –

“Creation is therefore the next thing—the fourth thing, and the number four always has reference to all that is created. It is emphatically the number of Creation; of man in his relation to the world as created; while six is the number of man in his opposition to and independence of God. It is the number of things that have a beginning, of things that are made, of material things, and matter itself. It is the number of material completeness. Hence it is the world number, and especially the ‘city’ number.”

In this, one can see that the “world number,” four, fits exactingly into what is being described. Next, the word “holding” comes from the Greek word krateó. It signifies holding firmly. There is a restraining power that is being directed.

These winds are certainly from the perspective of the land of Israel, or more specifically in relation to the people of Israel. That will be seen in the coming verses. They are forces that affect the peoples of the world in a negative manner. Thus, holding them back allegorically provides a temporary restraining of the events. Quite a few references in the Old Testament substantiate this. In Daniel 7, we read –

“I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.” Daniel 7:2

There, the Great Sea is the mass of humanity, and the winds are what churn and rile them up. Another example of the winds affecting the people is found in Jeremiah, where it is used metaphorically to scatter Israel –

“I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy;
I will show them the back and not the face
In the day of their calamity.” Jeremiah 18:17

They are also used to scatter the other peoples of the world, such as –

“Against Elam I will bring the four winds
From the four quarters of heaven,
And scatter them toward all those winds;
There shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go.” Jeremiah 49:36

A “destroying wind” is even said to have come against Babylon (Jeremiah 51:1) in the day of her doom. With this symbolism defined from the Old Testament typology, John continues his words, saying, “that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.”

The meaning here is explained by the next verse where another angel will imply that the winds now being held back are destroying winds, but they are not to be released until a particular matter is resolved on earth. Once that is accomplished, the winds will be unleashed to consummate their intended purposes.

Life application: The vision that John is seeing is telling the people of the world that there will be a time of calm before the storm of chaos and destruction. This restive period was seen by Zechariah hundreds of years before John received his vision –

“We have walked to and fro throughout the earth, and behold, all the earth is resting quietly.” Zechariah 1:11

Unfortunately, for those who experience this time of calm, it will assuredly lead them into a false sense that all is ok with the world. Whatever happened at the supposed “rapture” of the Christian church will be explained away through the strong delusion prophesied by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:11. It will supposedly be a time to get on with life and all will be fine.

Such however will not be the case. The world will devolve into a calamitous sea of chaos, mayhem, anarchy, and death. This is the cost of refusing to be included in what God offers now through His gospel of peace. It is available today, and it comes through the glorious giving of our Lord and Savior. He is JESUS!

Lord God, after the rapture of the church, the world will believe it has the peace it seeks, and the people will delude themselves by it. Even today, we rage against You and look to cast off Your sovereign rule. Forgive our stubborn and rebellious hearts, and help us to hold fast and faithfully to You. No matter what is coming, those who have called on You through Christ Jesus will be safe. Even so, come Lord Jesus. Amen.

Thursday, 3 December 2020

For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:17

There is an emphasis in the Greek that is missing in this translation. It literally says, “the day, the great.” Thus, a rendering such as the Weymouth Version is appropriate. In that translation, the emphasis is rendered almost as a proper name –

“for the day of His anger–that great day–has come, and who is able to stand?”

Also, some Greek translations say “their” while others say “His.” As two entities are referred to in the previous verse (the one on the throne and the Lamb), the word “their” is fine. But because they are both manifestations of Christ, saying “His” is fine as well. Either way, the time of the Lord’s wrath is what is being spoken of.

With these variations noted, John says (using the Weymouth Version), “for the day of His anger–that great day–has come.” The Lamb who was crucified for the sins of the world has been rejected. His church has been taken home, and worldwide enmity towards Him and His gospel of peace is left. Because of this, only His anger can be poured out on those who have failed to believe. The love seen in the shed blood is now anger towards the rejection of that offering.

With the coming of this great day in mind, a question is presented, “and who is able to stand?” If the One on the throne has presented the Lamb, and the Lamb is rejected, then what shall be the end of those who have rejected Him? The question is being raised based on the categories given in verse 15. There are the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man. Who can stand before the Lamb?

The answer is given in Chapter 7, and it involves two separate categories who will be presented there.

Life application: There are verses in the Bible that seem to contain oxymorons because they don’t fit our thinking of how things are. For example, each in Christ is asked to be a “living sacrifice.” A sacrifice, by its very nature, is something that dies. Someone not understanding the significance of the Christian life cannot grasp such a concept. But the informed believer knows that we are to be “dead to sin,” and to offer our lives to God apart from the body of sin and death that is in the world and which is in our flesh.

Likewise, we have here what would otherwise be considered an oxymoron – the wrath of the Lamb. How can a lamb demonstrate wrath? For some, even the “wrath of God” makes no sense. They can only see the Creator as a big fluffy pushover who dotes on us and gives us candy and prosperity. But God is holy. Our sin, no matter how small, is an affront to God. Multiply that by the billions of people on earth who have rejected Him, and His righteousness demands justice.

God doesn’t change during this process. Think of a column that is fixed and unmoving. On one side of the column is written “peace” and on the other side is written “strife.” If you are on the “peace” side, then peace reigns down on you, but if you move to the “strife” side, then you have become the object of punishment and pain. This is how we interact with God. We change in relation to Him; He does not change in position to us. When we are covered in Christ, we are on the “peace” side, but without His covering, we remain on the “strife” side.

As we are at strife with God because of original sin, we can never again be on His good side by anything we do. It is an eternal change, and only an eternal correction – one from outside of the created order – can rectify the situation. This is Jesus. He is the payment for an infinite crime of sinning against an infinite Creator.

In the tribulation, the world will have rejected Jesus and therefore it will taste the fruits of that rejection – the wrath of the Lamb. One cannot be right with God without accepting Jesus Christ. He is “the way, the truth, and the life.” No one comes to the Father except through Him. He is the path to reconciliation with our Creator. He is JESUS.

Lord God, it is certain that a finite crime against You bears an infinite penalty. It is certain that we can never pay the fine necessary to be right with You. But we know that Jesus could – He is fully God and fully Man, and He is qualified to do so. May we be wise and accept His payment on our behalf. Thank You for the Lamb of God; thank You for Jesus! Amen.

Wednesday, 2 December 2020

and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! Revelation 6:16

To remember the context, the previous verse needs to be cited as well –

“And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, ¹⁶ and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!”

The words here are cited first from Hosea 10 –

“Also the high places of Aven, the sin of Israel,
Shall be destroyed.
The thorn and thistle shall grow on their altars;
They shall say to the mountains, ‘Cover us!”
And to the hills, ‘Fall on us!’” Hosea 10:8

Jesus then cited that passage (Luke 23:30) to the women of Jerusalem as He was being taken out to be crucified. Here in Revelation, the people, from the greatest to the least, are hiding in the caves and rocks of the mountains. In this state, John continues, saying, “and said to the mountains and the rocks.”

The words of Hosea called out for death rather than life because of the terror of the situation the people faced. Jesus says the same thing would come upon the people of Israel when they were to be destroyed in the siege of the land by the Romans. Thus, this is a proverbial statement that is used for times of absolute calamity.

John uses this to show the state of the entire world during the seven years of tribulation that lie ahead. The people will be so terrified that they will call out to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne.” The one who sits on the throne is Christ Jesus, the divine Word of God.

Three times in the book of Hebrews, it says that Jesus “sat down” –

* who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, (1:3)

* But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, (10:12)

* looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Saying that He is at God’s right hand means that He is in the position of total power and authority. To sit at the right hand of the throne of God means it is He who is on the throne. Thus, the people of the world will know that it is He who they have rejected, and they will attempt to hide from Him, even seeking to be covered by the rocks and the mountains. Then to parallel what was just said, it restates Christ’s ability to bring judgment, saying, “and from the wrath of the Lamb!”

The statement is paradoxical in nature. A lamb is considered the gentlest of farm animals, and it is the one that needs protection from its surroundings, and even from its own self – being too simple to tend to itself properly. And yet, the Lamb is the one whose wrath they flee from. This is because it is the humanity of Christ Jesus who suffered and died on the cross. Verse 5:5 shows that it is His sacrifice that qualifies Him to open the seals. It is He who has the authority to loose the seals, and in loosing the seals, it is He who then brings forth the wrath of God upon the world.

The world will realize that in rejecting Jesus Christ, and His offer of peace with God, only wrath, indignation, and judgment is left. For them, there will be a double terror. They will not only face His wrath in their earthly lives as they are destroyed among the nations, but they will again face His judgment at the great white throne before they are cast into the Lake of Fire.

Knowing that there is no hope for having rejected Him, it is no wonder that they would want the rocks and mountains to fall on them. There is no place safe from the coming wrath and no place that the Lord’s eyes don’t roam. Understanding this, there is a parallel in the book of Joshua –

“But these five kings had fled and hidden themselves in a cave at Makkedah. ¹⁷ And it was told Joshua, saying, ‘The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.’
¹⁸ So Joshua said, ‘Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them.’” Joshua 10:17, 18

These kings hid, just as the kings of the earth will hide in the future time of tribulation, but they know they cannot hide securely. With no other alternative, they call out to the mountains and rocks. Instead of making a plea to the Creator of the rocks before taking the mark of the beast, they now simply ask nature to hide them. But then in a typical contradictory process, they acknowledge who they are hiding from… the Creator.

It is confused thinking by a confused generation that will deny the Creator while simultaneously acknowledging Him. But this is exactly how the world is turning, even now. Peter explains what this means in his first epistle –

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12

They know that their lives have been conducted in evil, and they know that what is happening is just and deserved, and so they call out to a secondary force, nature, to hide them from the ultimate force – the wrath of the Lamb.

As a note of doctrine, in order to justify a “prewrath” rapture, it is common to divide up the wrath of these seven years into two periods. This is known as the “prewrath” view. In order to substantiate this concept, and using the words of this verse in Revelation 6 (among other points), this is stated in the commentary from the prewrath view on Wikipedia –

“A side-to-side comparison of the wording of the sixth seal (Revelation 6:12–13) and the signs in Matthew 24:29 announcing the Second Coming of Jesus and the rapture of the Church indicate that they are the same event. Immediately after the sixth seal is opened in Revelation 6:12, the people of the earth, “said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (the Lamb being Jesus Christ), indicating that they are viewing Jesus in the clouds. Since all of the people on earth (every slave and every free man) are crying out because of the wrath of God, this implies that all those on earth are unbelievers, and that the believers have already been raptured. Therefore, the rapture in Matthew 24:29–31 occurs after the sixth seal (Revelation 6:12-13), but before the seventh seal of God’s wrath (Revelation 8:1). The church is said to be in heaven as the great multitude (Revelation 7:1 ff.), which has “come out of great tribulation” (Revelation 7:9–17).”

This analysis would then mean that all of the saints of all of church history had “come out of great tribulation,” meaning the first three years of the tribulation period. It completely ignores the fact that an innumerable number of people that are raptured, meaning the dead in Christ of 1 Thessalonians 4:16, were never a part of the tribulation period. This view further mixes dispensations, assuming that “the elect” of Matthew 24 are those of the church, and that Jesus is referring to the rapture in that passage. Both are incorrect.

The various views – mid-trib, prewrath, and post-trib – fail to properly treat the timeline given by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2. They also fail to acknowledge that Jesus never spoke of the rapture of the church. Rather, that was a “mystery” revealed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, some thirty-plus years after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus.

Mixing dispensations, as these views do, leaves a contradictory and convoluted eschatology concerning the rapture of the church and other end times events.

Life application: Don’t mix dispensations.

Lord, surely we think unclearly about who You are and what You have done for us. Instead of holding fast to You and acknowledging you now, we live our lives in selfish pursuit and reckless abandon. But You are holy and deserving of so much more. Forgive us for our transgressions and give us the heart and desire to serve You now and always. Amen.

Tuesday, 1 December 2020

And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, Revelation 6:15       

The words of the previous verses described the scene of the world coming apart at its seams – an earthquake, the stars falling, the sky receding, mountains and islands being removed from their places. Now, John describes the effects upon man who dwells on this trembling earth. They will do their own trembling.

In his words, he will provide a list of seven categories of men. The list is intended to be an all-inclusive list. As a side note, the list does vary between manuscripts by either changing the order or the word used to describe a certain category. However, the changes are minimal. In the end, it is a list intended to convey the idea of the complete range of categories of men.

A list from the society at the time of Isaiah, as seen in Isaiah 3, follows a similar thought to John’s words here in the New Testament –

“The mighty man and the man of war,
The judge and the prophet,
And the diviner and the elder;
³ The captain of fifty and the honorable man,
The counselor and the skillful artisan,
And the expert enchanter.” Isaiah 3:2, 3

The words of Revelation identify the categories according to the Greek descriptions of men. Understanding this, John begins the verse by saying, “And the kings of the earth.” These are those leaders who have sovereign authority over their lands. Even today, kings reign in countries of the world. The Greek word is derived from a root signifying a foundation of power. Such men sit in authority over their domains.

Next are “the great men.” These would be comparable to our presidents, prime ministers, dictators, etc. They are those who were elected to office or who gained their rule through force, but who are not considered kings. Outside of Revelation, the word is only found in Mark 6:21 where it is variously translated as “lords,” “great men,” “nobles,” and etc.

Next are “the rich men.” This category of men is obvious even in today’s world. They are people who have immense wealth and can wield that wealth behind the scenes to bring about their agendas. They have authority in media and access to their leaders in a way that others don’t.

John next identifies “the commanders.” These are known in Greek as chiliarchs. They are high military officers who exercise the military powers of their nations. Some manuscripts reverse the order of “the rich men” and “the commanders.”

The next category is “the mighty men.” The Greek reads dunatos, meaning powerful or capable. As a man, he is a powerful warrior. Here, some manuscripts say ischuros instead of dunatos. It is another word that signifies a mighty or powerful warrior. These words refer to people who exercise power that is not specifically military in nature, and yet their power is of great strength – lower levels of governmental authority, industry, etc. may fall under this term.

From there, John notes “every slave.” The word is doulos, and it signifies a bond man or a slave. It is a designation of anyone who generally exerts himself and his efforts on behalf of another. This can be applied to servants, but it surely even extends to blue-collar workers who are kept in the bonds of low-level work just to make ends meet.

The last of the seven refers to “every free man.” The Greek word is eleutheros. It signifies free, delivered from obligation, exempt, uninhibited, and so on. This would then apply to the rest of the people on earth – self-employed, small business owners, even the retired who are living in an uninhibited way.

Of this all-inclusive list of men, it says they “hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains.” The words take the reader back to Isaiah 2. There he says –

“They shall go into the holes of the rocks,
And into the caves of the earth,
From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty,
When He arises to shake the earth mightily.” Isaiah 2:19

A similar sentiment is repeated in Isaiah 2:21 speaking of the “clefts of the rocks” and the “crags of the rugged rocks.” When the great cataclysm mentioned in the preceding verses occurs, all will know that God is sovereign over His creation. All of their power, position, and wealth won’t be able to save them in that time. They will hide themselves in terror from what is coming upon them.

Life application: In Ecclesiastes, we are told that things repeat themselves and that there is nothing new under the sun. Going back to Isaiah, we see that this is true. Man fails to learn, and the cycles of horror that come upon him repeat themselves. The Bible tells us of these things to wake us up to the nature of the Lord and the terror that will come upon us if we reject Him.

Unfortunately, the world looks at God as a cosmic pushover who overlooks sin, will accept any path to Him, and maybe grades man on some type of bell curve. As most people think they are better than the next guy, the bell curve of being on God’s good side is always perceived to be true of each individual.

But God has spoken. He does not overlook sin, He has provided one and only one path of restoration, and there is only one grade that is acceptable – absolute perfection. And the only way to obtain each of these aspects of what is required is to come to Him through Jesus Christ. Through Him, sin is forgiven. In Him is the one path to the Father. And because of His imputed righteousness, man is once again deemed pure and spotless before God. Come to God through His offer of reconciliation. Come today to JESUS.

Lord, thank You that the rapture means that Your redeemed will be spared from the terrifying calamities to come. Even the great and mighty will be fearful and hide at what is coming, but we who have Christ will be secure in Your glorious presence through it all. Thank You Lord God! Amen.

Monday, 30 November 2020

Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. Revelation 6:14

In the comments of the previous verse, it was seen that Isaiah 34:4 matched the content of the verse. It spoke of the stars of heaven falling to the earth, and the fig dropping its late figs. Here, the same verse from Isaiah also matches what is stated in this verse –

“All the host of heaven shall be dissolved,
And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll;
All their host shall fall down
As the leaf falls from the vine,
And as fruit falling from a fig tree.” Isaiah 34:4

Understanding this, John begins his words of this verse, saying, “Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up.” The idea here isn’t that these things will literally occur, but the terminology is saying that like a scroll is rolled up, so will the order of things that currently exist be so completely removed.

One can lay out a scroll and read its contents, seeing all that is displayed there. If the scroll has notes of love and joy, that will be seen. If the scroll has notes of hatred, war, and wickedness, that can be read. But when a scroll is rolled up, all of what is written there will be drawn away from the eyes. Thus, a completely new order of things can then be introduced.

However, if these words are to be taken literally, one would have to consider that the events being viewed are from a man’s perspective. The sky receding like a scroll could be a result of the earthquake previously noted. Just as when there is a nuclear detonation where the sky appears to roll up, this earthquake could be so large and so widespread that it will affect the atmosphere of the earth. Side effects of earthquakes are numerous and so this is not at all implausible.

If a literal rendering of this is assumed, the cataclysm to come will cause such a tectonic disturbance that even, as John says, “every mountain and island was moved out of its place.” An earthquake great enough could cause damage on a global scale with giant tsunamis, volcanoes, and the like. Again, the description is not impossible when considered from the view of a man looking at the destruction around him.

But the symbolism here could also be taken symbolically. Just as the stars of the previous verse are shown elsewhere in Scripture to indicate human rulers, so mountains are shown to be reflective of governments. In Isaiah 11, and elsewhere, Jerusalem is equated to a mountain. Jeremiah 52:25 calls Babylon a “destroying mountain.” The islands of the sea are equated to jurisdictions belonging to larger governmental bodies, such as in Esther 10:1.

Such references show that the events of this verse in Revelation may be speaking of a complete change in the moral and governmental order of things as they now exist. And, indeed, this is what is said to have been set into motion at the first coming of Christ Jesus. Luke cites Isaiah 40:3-5 when speaking of John the Baptist’s ministry which was given to prepare the way for the coming of Christ –

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.
⁵ Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth;
⁶ And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” Luke 3:4-6

Without being dogmatic concerning a literal fulfillment of these things that John writes in Revelation, they are certainly symbolically fulfilled as well. The apocalyptic nature of the account leaves open either or both options to come about. The certainty, however, is that when the events are fulfilled, they shall be known to be their fulfillment at the time.

For example, when Christ came, the literal mountains and hills of the world were not brought low, and yet, we know that the government of Christ on earth had begun and that the terminology clearly pointed to Him and His ministry being superior to all other forms of government. The final fulfillment of His redemptive plan had been set into motion, and the subjects of His kingdom are – even now – being gathered together.

Life application: A global restructuring – either literal or symbolic or both – is coming. It will shake the very foundations of all of human society, and it will certainly cause immense economic and national upheaval.

But they are all a part of the events leading to the millennial reign of Christ. Before that time, such global devastation is coming on the earth, and most will not survive the events. For those who have put their faith in Christ Jesus, we need not worry about the details provided here. We are safe in Christ, and we are safely kept in His firm grasp.

Let us live for Him because He is worthy of our attention, devotion, and love. He is our Redeemer, and He is coming to save His people. He is JESUS.

Lord, we know that the disasters coming on the earth that are prophesied in Your word are both natural and man-made. Together they are leading to a cumulative effect of woe and misery for those who must face them. Use us, O Lord, as instruments of Your good news now, so that many will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus before the time of tribulation. Help us to be responsible to speak to others about the gospel that saves. Amen.