12.2 Revelation – Peace

Peace

What is peace?  Is it the absence of war?  The absence of conflict?  The absence of worry and anxiety?

We tend to define peace in terms of what it is not.  But the bible explains that peace is a real thing in and of itself.  It is a gift from God.  Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

The appearance in Revelation, first of the conqueror on the white horse and then of the red horse which removes peace from the world, is indication that God is withdrawing His protection from His creation.  God is still peace and those who seek refuge in Him are covered by His peace.  But the blanket of peace and protection that He has provided over the cosmos is being withdrawn.

God’s gift to the creation was perfect harmony.  Our corruption of the creation is sin, desire, coveting, self-pleasure, friendship, adultery with the world and false gods.

When peace is removed as a covering of the world, man’s sin produces death and destruction.  If you read the story of Gideon from the book of Judges we get an indication of this.  The 300 men who accompany Gideon encircle an encamped army so numerous that the number of their camels is compared to counting the grains of sand on the shore.  In one hand Gideon’s fellows hold a lamp in a jar.  In the other hand they hold a trumpet (notice: no sword in their hand, no shield).  At the appointed time, they burst the jar and blow the trumpets and the armies in the camp take up arms and immediately begin killing each other.  Their fear is so great that they run away to hide.  I think this is a foreshadowing of the events that will ensue when the first 2 horses come.

 

My Answers:

3.
a.
Come

b.
A horse with rider, different colors, different powers, different things they carried

4.
The rider held a bow, was given a crown and rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.  He is an offensive being, crowned as a victor (not with the sovereign’s crown), a military leader.

5.
a.
Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other, given a large sword. – Peace is threatened and men seek to kill other men and terrorize

b.
sin – desire, coveting, wrong motives, self-pleasure, friendship with the world (adultry).

11.5 Revelation – Resisting the Truth

Resisting the Truth

There is a part of me that desires for God to treat us as nothing more than infants.  To feed us.  To care for our every need.  To unconditionally welcome and embrace us regardless of the level of temper tantrum and rejection we show.

I particularly want this when a friend, neighbor or family member rejects the calling of the Holy Spirit and declines to accept the gift of the saving blood of Jesus Christ.  Especially when that person has died.  I want the delusion that God will treat that person like the helpless infant that doesn’t know what they are doing and to just go ahead and save them anyway.

But this is not the God that Peter speaks of and it is not the God shown throughout any part of the bible.  God expects us to grow up and make choices.  We are not helpless infants.  We have been given facts, words, laws, science and all of nature and the entire cosmos to confirm that God is God.  God is a teacher.  God does love us, and He loves us so much that He gives us the ability to either accept or reject Him.  And, He then loves us so much that He is willing to honor and accept that choice.

The God that Peter speaks of is one who is patiently waiting.  Who allows His adult child to go off and squander the health and wealth He has given them, to treat Him as if He were dead, but still wait by the door longing for that child to return (see parable of the prodigal son).

As much as I may want all my loved ones to be saved, I recognize that God does, too.  And, unlike me at times, He loves them enough to honor their decisions and choices while holding the door open for as long as is possible.

God is not slow, but He is exceptionally patient.

My Answers:

13.
a.
to live holy and godly lives

b.
scoffing and following their own evil desires, mockery

c.
Things have not “always” been as they are now – there was a creation event

14.
God is not slow, He is patient, not wanting anyone to perish but to come to repentance.  There are still people who can and will be saved.

15.
a.
I like to think that all of my family and friends will be judged to be believers despite the evidence I have seen in their words and ways.

b.
To repent – to rend my heart not my clothing – in other words, not repentance for show, but repentance at the soul level

 

11.4 Revelation – HS Uplink Cable

HS Uplink Cable

Today’s lesson is all about the Holy Spirit.  There are many roles the Holy Spirit plays and, as such, it is difficult to draw a single analogy or illustration.  The Holy Spirit is described as the breath of God, the mist, the counselor and advocate.

I’m a bit of a nerd at heart and one way I think of the Holy Spirit is as an uplink cable.

The Holy Spirit provides the very real connection between our physical presence and God.  Jesus is the network but bridges the connection between our sinful state and the holiness of God, but the Holy Spirit is the cable that plugs us in.

No one comes to faith in Jesus without the work of the Holy Spirit.  We pray through the words of the Holy Spirit.  We teach and profess, comfort and heal through the Holy Spirit.  We have God present in us in the Holy Spirit.  It is our connection.

Without the Holy Spirit, we have a hole in us.  When sin takes us far off-track and we feel the tug, that is the Holy Spirit trying to keep us connected.

My Answers:

10.
a.
Peter quoted the prophecy of the arrival of the spirit of God.  The arrival that would prompt additional prophecy relating to Christ’s return.  The day of the Lord is progressing now that Jesus is risen and sits at the throne in heaven.

b.
Consistency and magnitude.  This is not something that will be missed.  It is not something within the control of man

11.
a.
The Holy Spirit has been present and a part of everything that the other parts of the Trinity are involved with.  From creation to the prophecy and arrival of Jesus, to the start of the church and in the end times.  The H/S has been God’s spiritual presence with and in man in the same way that Jesus was the physical presence and the Word a linkage between the two.

b.
Guiding my actions and life.  By setting and controlling all things in the spiritual realm and providing strength, peace, protection and guidance.

12.
a.
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved

b.
God is in control and righteousness wins and redeems what belongs to Him.

11.3 Revelation – Repent

Repent

Joel’s prophecy paints a picture of the Mighty Hand of God.  He also calls for the only appropriate response by mankind: Repentance.

In the past (and present), when the people of God would rebel, He would place them in a state of hardship and persecution, calling them to turn back to Him.  The appropriate response at these times has been lamentation.  To humble ourselves and confess our wrongs.  To regret earnestly the wrongs we have done and to mourn the time we have spent away from God.  We were called to act as one in mourning until we are fully restored to God, something we do not have the power to do (to cast off our oppressors), but that through our acts of attrition God would see our desire to return to Him.

In Joel 1, he addresses this time and state.  But, in chapter 2, looking forward to the level of things during the Day of our Lord, this is insufficient and But Joel cuts deeper than most prophets and preachers in his definition of repentance.  He says, in 2:13, “Rend your heart and not your garments.  Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”

In the days to come, it is not a show of repentance, but it must be fully of the heart.  Don’t tear your clothing as one in mourning, but feel the tear at your heart for the time you have spent away from Him and causing devastation in the world He created.

We think of the spiritual and physical worlds as being separate, but both are creations of God.  We understand at some level that they cross with each other and that both are completely real in their own ways.  We do not understand the interconnection, but we know that God was in flesh, that God’s spirit is real and present, and that God intervenes in every moment of every day.  In the same way, our spiritual actions also impact and permeate the physical world.  There are obvious ways, such as pollution and environmental damage, But, there are less obvious ways as well – Sin has permeated throughout creation.  In the same way that a carpenter would remove rotted wood or dig out a weak foundation – the creator of the Universe will root out the evil that has permeated His creation so that everything can be made new again.

My Answers:

6.
a.
Sin cannot go unpunished and sin has permeated the entire world

b.
Through the restitution paid by Jesus who paid the price for my sin through his blood and death on the cross and his defeat of death through his resurrection and ascension to heaven

7
a.
return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning, rend your heart (not your garments), return to the Lord, Gather the people, consecrate the assembly, bring together the elders, gather the children.. call out to the LORD

b.
gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, relents in sending calamity

8.
Jealous for his land and took pity on his people, “I am sending… ” provision, peace, protection, separation from sin – do not be afraid

9.
Rebel, Repent, Restore – During times of rebellion, God would allow oppression and persecution (often by foreign hands) to bring His people to a state of repentance then he would send a judge (book of judges) to either encourage them to repent and/or restore them when they had repented

 

11.2 Revelation – The Hand of God

The Hand of God

Chuck Smith, in his commentary on the book of Joel, made a very insightful explanation of this book and its meaning.

Joel was a prophet to the nation of Judah at a time of the divided kingdom: 10 tribes (Israel) to the North, 2 tribes (Judah) to the South.  Both nations went through lengthy periods prior to their ultimate captivity to foreigners, where they lived in open rebellion to the Lord.

Throughout the history of the Old Testament (and modern times for that matter), there is a cyclical nature to behavior of God’s people: Rebel, Repent, Restore.  The people would turn from God, rebelling against Him and worshiping other gods.  He would place hardships in their pathway, calling them to repent and turn back to Him.  When they would, He would restore them to His family and way.  As they lived in harmony with Him they would become comfortable and sinful and repeat the cycle.

At the time of Joel, we are seeing the stage of rebellion.  Joel, as well as other prophets, such as Hosea, were sent to the people to highlight their sin, remind them of God and call them into repentance.

Chuck Smith pointed out that while other prophets were attesting to the “Heart of God”, Joel had the unique task of talking about the “Hand of God.”

He starts that discussion through an analogy to a past event.  He begins with calling them to remember a time of a major locust infestation.  He is using a real event of locusts to provide reference (starting in chapter 2) for the way, in the future, that the mighty hand of God will return – but with soldiers instead of locusts.

Through this reference we can get a picture of the might of the army of God.  The strength of their numbers.  The destructive power.  But we also quickly get an understanding of the wrongness that they are coming to make right.

My Answers:

3.
a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, like a coming mighty army such as never was, devouring, earthquakes, the sun and moon are darkened and the stars no longer shine, the Lord thunders at the head of his army

4.
Rebellion by the people of God – following false idols.  (there are 2 destructions described, a swarm of locusts that had occurred in the recent past as reference to the swarm of soldiers to come in the future)

5.
(Personal question)

 

 

10.5 Revelation – Praise Worthy

Praise Worthy

In Revelation 5:12, the heavenly beings sing in chorus to Jesus, saying, “He is worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

7 things.  7 blessings.  7 categories of blessings.  As I look at the list, I’m struggling to find any blessing someone might desire that isn’t part of that list.  Love?  But true love is a gift of the Spirit of God who is Love and is given in the same way it is received.  Peace, Joy?  Again, these are things of God and we have seen they are already held as possessions by Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Then we get into the powerful, but confusing, echo of Revelation 5:13.  John writes, “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying…”

As we continue to read Revelation, we will see that there are legions of people that will still reject Jesus.  Even during a time of His reign on the Earth for 1000 year, men will still turn away from Him.  As we look around the world today, we have a very hard time imagining every creature singing praise to Jesus.

Yet, what John sees and hears is exactly that.  Even as mankind strives to lie and deny, every part of us and every part of creation sings the truth.  We are like a child throwing a tantrum in the arms of a loving parent, yet, the entire scene further exemplifies and amplifies the image of the magnitude of the love of that parent.

How much of your “world” is shaped by lies?  How much of what you think and believe and what you discuss, worry about, live and breath comes from the tantrums of a mankind throwing a tantrum that it doesn’t need God?

John points out that it is inevitable.  Every part of creation, which was made by God, has no power or ability to do anything other than sing out praises and blessings to the savior.  Even our denial, shows the magnitude of Jesus’ sacrifice because it is one that pays the price for all sin with nothing we can do to add to it in any way.

Why do the elders keep falling down and praising God/Jesus?  Let’s put it in perspective.  Let’s say you are trapped in a burning building.  When you realize you have absolutely no exit, no ability to save yourself from the flame that you yourself set, a firefighter bursts in and scoops you up and carries you to safety.  What would be your reaction to that firefighter?  Now, magnify the severity of the fire by a million and the hopelessness by an equal magnitude.  Now, repeat this scene over and over and over, realizing you weren’t saved once, but repeatedly for every second you lived.  And that as you give thanks to the firefighter for the risks and sacrifices he endured to save you, it is further revealed to you each additional time this has happened, not only for you, but for everyone you love.  Even as you kicked and fought the firefighter in the smoke of the fire, he held you and his power is sufficient to save you.  The elders bow repeatedly because the alternative is to run back into the burning building.  The bigger question is, why do we keep going back into the burning building instead of getting on our knees?

My Answers:

11.
a.
power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise.  These summarize eternal blessings for the King of Heaven.  He is worthy because He submitted Himself to death for the sin of others and purchased them (us) back into the kingdom

b.
It is all in – physical, mental, singing, praising.  It is not an obligation – it is an outpouring of love.

12.
a.
Everyone: in heaven, 4 creatures, 24 elders, thousands upon thousands of angels – all on the earth – under the earth, sea and all that is in them

b.
made by God in His image -it declares God’s glory – it is vast, but it was subjected to frustration to someday be liberated from bondage to decay and brought into freedom and glory of the children of God.   – it testifies to the majesty of God (Luke 19:40 – the rocks would cry out) Romans 1:20 (God’s invisible qualities have been seen from what has been made

13.
a.
John saw every part of God’s creation bowing, singing and praising Jesus Christ and God the Father – with everything they have.

b.
Mostly turning away from Him – wanting Him only to be “a part”, not the whole.

10.4 Revelation – Worthy

Worthy

In Greek the word Worthy as used in Revelation 5:9 is “Axios.”  According to Strong’s, the definition of Axios is “properly, to weigh in, assigning the matching value (“worth-to-worth”)”

I love the visual that this image provides.  The scales of justice are not balance.  With the fall, mankind took on the weight of sin and gave up holiness.  This is not an even trade and has ever since thrown everything out of balance.  As Romans 8:20 states, all of creation is in a state of frustration.  The only way a guilty verdict has not been delivered is because God chose to delay judgement.

But in this image we also see the futility of man’s efforts.  On our end of the scale, we can not put things back in balance.  Think of it this way – all of the things we do to add back to our account (good works, etc.), are simply rearranging the things on our side that God has given us.  We cannot take anything from Heaven, nor can we remove any of the sin we hold as mankind.  We can rearrange things, putting a shiny appearance on the outside, but inside we are rotten and corrupt, hollow and without merit.

But Jesus Christ alone chose to move from one side of the scale to the other.  He left the Holy Spirit within His church in the Earth and removed the sin of the world.

He and He alone is the matching value to the perfection of God.  As a man, a member of the creation, Jesus, by whom and through whom all was created, alone has the ability at the day of judgement, to return creation to a state of balance.  To restore a kingdom of priests to serve our God.

He is worthy – Axios.

My Answers:

8.
a.
fell down before the lamb, each with a harp, holding golden bowls of incense (prayers of God’s people), sang a new song

b.
slain & with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people, nation – made kingdom of priests

c.
It models what should be my daily response to Jesus.  It also reiterates my vocation (to be a priest, part of a kingdom of priests, serving God.

9.
Marked by the spirit.  I have seen Him move in my life to help bring others to Him.

10.
we were (people of every tribe, language, people and nation)  It can and will be a diverse party, with great music!

10.3 Revelation – One and the Same, Completely

One and the Same, Completely
The Lion and the Lamb

Through time, the Jews, the chosen people of God awaited a savior, a Messiah, the promised one.  A Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David.

The elder speaking to John in the throne room of heaven explains this is the only one who has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.

Then John sees a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne.

Notice that this isn’t portrayed as a “but instead” statement.  The Lamb is not a replacement for the Lion.  The Lamb is not “plan b”.  The Lamb is the Lion!

The Lamb was slain but is slain no more.  The lamb stands at the center of the throne, the place reserved only for the King, for God Himself.  The Lamb doesn’t reach into the inner circle, He does not replace the Father God King on the throne, instead He stands with and in Him.  This may be sacrilegious, but think along the lines of the 1990 movie “Ghost” with Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg, where Swayze was embodied in Goldberg.  Please don’t take this analogy too far, but the point is that Jesus and the Father are one and in this way, everything that is the Father’s is the Son’s and the scroll held in the right hand of the Father is held in the right hand of Jesus.

The description of the Lamb, with 7 horns and eyes, further describes His physical connection not only to the Divine, but to creation.  The seven spirits of the seven churches are not just held in the hand of Jesus, but they are physically part of Him, extensions of who He now is.

My Answers:

6.
a.
a Lamb, looking as if had been slain, standing at the center of the throne (Jesus)

b.
He died as a sacrifice – He had been slain, but was no longer – now was standing

7.
a.
The throne is the throne of God.  God is at the center.  Jesus is God

b.
completeness of the connection between heaven and the people of earth (7 churches, 7 spirits., 7 candlestands).  They are physically part of the lamb of God.  They come out from Christ into all the earth.

10.2 Revelation – Sealed Scroll

Sealed Scroll

It is clear from Revelation 5 that not only is the scroll in God’s right hand a big deal, but the inability to open it is of such paramount importance that John cries and cries when no one is found who can open the seals.  Yet, the content of the words written on the scroll are not specifically disclosed.  This seems to imply that the content of the scroll is not nearly as important as the scroll itself and the ability to break the seals.

First, there are some things we know historically about scrolls and seals.  First, a scroll is a made up of a long piece of what we would consider paper.  They were normally made of plant material such as parchment or papyrus, stripped, dried, and pressed together in a weave pattern.  These sheets where then adhered (glued) to each other to form a long sheet, sometimes as long as 30 feet.  Scrolls were used for important documents, such as the written word of the Torah as well as the recording of events and decisions in the courts of Kings.  A scroll differs from a roll in length, with a roll being a shorter document.  Each were used for legal documents such as deeds, contracts and wills, but mostly for the classes of nobility (think land-owners).

A seal was affixed by the scribe (the one recording the words).  It was a method of preventing the premature disclosure (or tampering) of terms, events, actions or other information on the scroll.  The scribe would begin writing then roll the section up to that point and affix a seal.  He would then continue writing and rolling periodically affixing another seal.  These intact seals signified that the legal document was intact and binding.  As the document was unrolled, another seal would appear, when that was broken, then the reader could proceed in unrolling the document.

In the case of a legal document, such as a deed or will, when the final seal was affixed, the terms of the redemption or reading of the document was written on the outside of the document (to specified what the document contained and the terms for its execution.)

7 seals would have signified a very important document.  The wills of both Emperor Vespasian and Caesar Augustus were secured with seven seals.

The fact that God held the document indicates that God held ownership.  The lender, not the borrower, would hold the legal document.  The Father, not the children, would hold the will.  The land owner would hold the deed.  But the fact that the document was sealed indicates it was indentured or bound up.  Think back to Jacob and Laban, where Jacob purposefully indentured his work product (time and materials) enslaving himself to Laban.  There were conditions (end of 7 years) under which that agreement was broken and he was no longer bound by its terms.

God had withheld judgement of His creation after the fall of man into sin.  Creation still belonged to God.  God was not indebted to us or to Satan, but by choosing to delay judgement, He bound up an agreement for which redemption of the property (His creation) may someday come.  He allowed Satan a position of rule on the Earth as the Prince of the Air and Father of Lies, but ownership never transferred to the fallen angel.  There was always a legally binding written document by the execution of which this state would no longer continue.  The All Knowing God would not have needed to write this down, but it was written for the benefit of mankind the angels and all creation.

John cried and cried, the appropriate response, because no one was found in all created things who met the conditions specified on the outside of the document to be able to break the agreement and redeem creation from being bound in its current state forever.  This would be a situation without hope because the current state of a fallen earth and people would continue for all eternity and separation from God would continue (something John could not bear).

But the elder informed John that one did exist who is able to open the scroll and break the seals.  This one is, however, was not part of God’s creation for He existed before and in creation itself.  The Messiah, the promised one of God (God with us), is and was God (as part of the Trinity) and the one who fulfilled the Jewish prophecy of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David. (more on that tomorrow).

My Answers:

3.
a.
a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals

b.
He wept and wept – no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or look inside it

4.
It means Jesus, the one who fulfilled the messianic prophecies

5.
1st by being slain, then standing in the center of the throne in heaven.  By fulfilling the prophecies He showed and revealed that He (Jesus) was and is God incarnate – it is significant because without Him there is no salvation from sin

09.6 Revelation – Ye of Great Faith

Ye of Great Faith

I normally don’t share in this blog on the last day’s question, simply because it is meant to be for personal reflection.  But there are 2 things I would like to share today.

One of the things that challenged me was to not get off on side trails this week.  It was hard for me to not spiral into wanting to pursue all the different thinking about who are the 24 elders.  And, if some of the elder are the apostles and since John is an apostle, would John be seeing himself? And, if he did would he recognize his new self in his new heavenly body? And, would this create some strange, “back to the future” paradox which would create a wrinkle in the time space continuum. And is that why he isn’t mentioning any wheels on the throne like the other prophets and no mention of the Ophanim?

See, what I mean?  Instead, I was reminded in the lesson that “the main thing is the main thing.”  The main thing in our lesson this week is about the worship of God.  That is the message, that needs to be my focus rather than diverting my focus down many paths that, if they mattered, would have been explained in more detail.

Secondly, as I write this, Paris and the world are reeling in the wake of new terrorist attacks.  When I woke this morning, I read a daily devotional that helped me and I would like to share it with you.  It was reflecting on Hebrews 11:1-2 and came from the NIV the Journey Bible.

“Did you know that you’re a person of great faith?

It’s true—you are, and so is everyone else. Not a day passes without each of us exercising considerable faith. For example, you did it when you showered this morning. You trusted that the soap manufacturer didn’t put some caustic substance in the soap that would burn your skin. When you drove to work, you trusted that the drivers of the oncoming cars wouldn’t suddenly pull in front of you. When you got to work and flipped on the light switch, you believed that the light would come on.”

In the same way, we live each day with faith in being able to go out in public to a performance and not be attacked by armed radical terrorists.  We have faith that the protections of our governments and police will be sufficient.

Yet, we know that faith in these things is misguided and an illusion or lie.  Over and over throughout the world we are reminded of this fact.  We know that evil is present in this world and has no issue with killing or terrorizing us or trying to parallelize us.  We see that persecution is real, despite our desire to live as if it is not.

If your faith is shaken by these events, look at the question, “in what have you placed your great faith?”

God is true.  God is almighty.  God is good and in control and the sovereign king and lord.  God is our God.

When we do not face fear and worry, we dilute our faith by spreading it across various false things: money, governments, negotiated peace, ethics, fairness in the world.  We forget what we know – we live in a broken, sinful (sin-filled) world, that is not fair, that is not at peace, that has very broken governments and no amount of money can change that.

Do not blame God or doubt God because of the reality of the harm and pain that sin has brought into this world.  Instead, renew your faith in Him and in Him alone.  Renew your focus on eternal life in worship of Him.

The main thing is the main thing and God is the main thing.