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The Beginning
With today's passage we not only finish out NT in a year, but we come full circle.  This is the culmination - what we often call, "the end" - but more on that later.  Notice the descriptions in this chapter:  there is a river (as there was in Eden, the original paradise), and more importantly, "the tree of life".  This is the same tree mentioned in Genesis 3:22 - God kept Adam and Eve out of the Garden so that they might NOT eat of the tree of life, but now it stands at the center of everything, a symbol of the fully restored relationship between God and man.  The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations (see Ezekiel 47:12?).  All that is sad will come untrue.  All that is broken will be remade.  All that we have always known as imperfect, even in the best circumstances, will be made perfect.  This is unbelievable.  In fact, it is truly, literally unbelievable for some - they cannot accept that this could be true and see it as merely a dream.  Maybe that is why, immediately following these things, it is said "These words are trustworthy and true."  It is an affirmation.  It is a promise. 

As I said before, we usually think of Revelation as speaking about the "End Times", but I would say rather that it speaks of the beginning.  There is a really great scene in one of C.S. Lewis's novels that speaks about this:

“And that,” said Ransom, “will be the end?” The King stared at him. “The end?” he said. “Who spoke of an end?” “The end of your world, I mean,” said Ransom. “Splendor of Heaven!” said the King. “Your thoughts are unlike ours. About that time we shall be not far from the beginning of all things. But there will be one matter to settle before the beginning rightly begins...”

"....I did not at once see what you were talking of, because what you call the beginning we are accustomed to call the Last Things.” “I do not call it the beginning,” said the King. “It is but the wiping out of a false start in order that the world may then begin. As when a man lies down to sleep, if he finds a twisted root under his shoulder he will change his place and after that his real sleep begins. Or as a man setting foot on an island, may make a false step. He steadies himself and after that his journey begins. You would not call that steadying of himself a last thing?” [1]

The  point here is not that all of our history is nothing more than a "false start" or "false step" - God Himself became man in order to die and resurrect to redeem this world - but that we MUST NOT think of these things as an end.  They are but the beginning of the story that goes on for all eternity.  These current suffering aren't even worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed! 

I can't leave you with anything better than that:  rest in His grace and wait for the beginning of the true story!

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The New Jerusalem
Wow - today's passage is a great one.  Having come through so much of the confusion and destruction and wrath that is in the book of Revelation, we are now at the passages that speak of all things new!  The end of yesterday's passage definitely started us in on this.  The old, broken earth that groaned under the curse will be no more, but let's not forget that it doesn't merely pass away - it is remade.  Just as we will not simply stay whispy spirits floating around (as people often picture those "in heaven"), but will have new, better resurrection bodies, so also we will not dwell in a place this isn't physical as well.  There will be a new earth.  How can it be summarized and described?  I think that words of Sam Gamgee phrase it well.  He asks, “Is everything sad going to come untrue?”[1]  The answer at the end of Revelation is a resounding yes! 

As we've gone through this book, I think it's become clear that it can be difficult to understand.  Different people have different opinions on how we should interpret some of the things in this book, but there is one thing that can be agreed upon:  Jesus wins.  He is King.  Everything sad will come untrue.  I think that we very rarely stop to think about this, and if we did, we would live our lives differently and with a changed perspective, particularly on suffering.

Take some time to meditate on these passages today and tomorrow.  Think over them and let them change you.

Also, I wanted to include a picture today.  A lot of today's passage is devoted to describing New Jerusalem, and while I don't have a great picture of exactly what it might look like, I do have one that can give you a sense of its size.  It's superimposed on a map of the US to give a you better sense of the scale.  Hope it's helpful!

Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.

The Millennium
As we enter this section, it is important to note that there are three views concerning the millennium in this chapter:

"1. Premillennialists (or premillenarians) understand the 1,000 years to follow the return of Christ. Thus, they believe in a premillennial return of Christ (before the Millennium)." [1]  This view  holds that Christ will come back to earth bodily rule on earth for 1,000 years, after which time Satan will be released and ultimately defeated and punished.  This is the view that I hold.

"2. Postmillennialists also find in Revelation 20 a consummation of history in the 1000-year reign of the saints, but they believe that Christ will accomplish this through the church’s fulfilling of its gospel mission, prior to His return. The 1,000 years of peace will be accomplished through no other agency than that which is already in the possession of the church, i.e., the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. The world will become christianized, either as the result of worldwide revival and mass conversions, or through the imposition of Christian ideals by converted rulers and Christian governments—or both." [2] This view sees the 1,000 reign as somewhat figurative: the world will become Christian for 1,000 years through the work of the church.  It is not a reign of a literal, bodily Christ, but His reign through His church.

"3. Amillennialism, which means “no millennium,” takes its name from its denial that there will be a special golden age of literally 1,000 years, either before or after the return of Christ. Revelation 20 is understood symbolically or spiritually, so that the reign of the saints depicts either the vindicated martyrs reigning from heaven in the present age, or earthly believers achieving spiritual victory over personal sin during the same period. The time frame is seen to be the whole time between Christ’s first and second advents. Thus the binding of Satan at the beginning of the Millennium is associated with the First Coming of Christ, and the “fire from heaven” at the end of the Millennium is associated with His Second Coming." [3] This is a wholly figurative view that sees this speaking not of a literal 1,000 years, but as a figurative time that begins when Jesus is crucified and resurrected and ends when the world does.

If you've been reading the posts on Revelation, it should be no surprise to you that I take the premillennial view and it'll probably be clear why:  it is the most literal.  This seems to be the most natural way to take the passage:  the Jesus Himself really reigns for a real 1,000 years.  I'm not going to deny that there is symbolism throughout this book, but this seems to be something different.  We've taken the times listed (such as 42 months) literally, and I think that this should be as well.  I'm also not denying that is is possible through the power of God for the church to evangelize the entire world, but that doesn't seem to be what is spoken of here:  Christ comes on a white horse with the heavenly armies to defeat the armies of the antichrist at Armageddon and takes up His reign after doing so.  I think it's best to take it that way.

Again, some tough stuff.  Questions? Comments?

Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.

Sorry for the belated post - I was horrifically sick yesterday and did nothing but lay in bed.  Feeling slightly better today, so here's the post meant for yesterday.

The Rider on the White Horse
"When the heavens open, John sees Christ, accompanied by the armies in heaven (v. 14), coming in victory and judgment to establish his millennial kingdom on earth. Certainty about the identity of the rider on the white horse (v. 11) is established beyond question by the threefold manner in which He is named. First, He is called Faithful and True (v. 11). Second, He has a name that no one knew except Himself (v. 12), indicating that “no human name can express what He is in Himself”. Third, His name is called The Word of God (v. 13), which is the most unmistakable title of all, harking back to the opening verses of John’s Gospel." [1]

There's a great song by Josh Garrels that I've been saving for a while, called "Revelator".  I think today's a good day for it - enjoy!

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The Fall of Babylon
Today's passage reflects further on the fall of Babylon, the mourning of those that clung to the profits and pleasures that came from it, and the rejoicing of the people of God.  Rather than reflecting specifically on this passage today, I want to draw a connection with some thoughts in the rest of the Bible.  Psalm 73 is a great picture (from Asaph) of how many of us have probably felt at one time or another.  Asaph sees the wealth and success of the wicked and asks, "What is the point of following God?", but then worships God and works his thoughts out.  The is from the ESV, and the emphasis bolding is added by me to bring out some points:
      1       Truly God is good to Israel,
      to those who are pure in heart.
            2       But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
      my steps had nearly slipped.
            3       For I was envious of the arrogant
      when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

            4       For they have no pangs until death;
      their bodies are fat and sleek.
            5       They are not in trouble as others are;
      they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.
            6       Therefore pride is their necklace;
      violence covers them as a garment.
            7       Their eyes swell out through fatness;
      their hearts overflow with follies.
            8       They scoff and speak with malice;
      loftily they threaten oppression.
            9       They set their mouths against the heavens,
      and their tongue struts through the earth.
            10       Therefore his people turn back to them,
      and find no fault in them.
            11       And they say, “How can God know?
      Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
            12       Behold, these are the wicked;
      always at ease, they increase in riches.
            13       All in vain have I kept my heart clean
      and washed my hands in innocence.
            14       For all the day long I have been stricken
      and rebuked every morning.
            15       If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
      I would have betrayed the generation of your children.

            16       But when I thought how to understand this,
      it seemed to me a wearisome task,
            17       until I went into the sanctuary of God;
      then I discerned their end.

            18       Truly you set them in slippery places;
      you make them fall to ruin.
            19       How they are destroyed in a moment,
      swept away utterly by terrors!
            20       Like a dream when one awakes,
      O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
            21       When my soul was embittered,
      when I was pricked in heart,
            22       I was brutish and ignorant;
      I was like a beast toward you.

            23       Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
      you hold my right hand.
            24       You guide me with your counsel,
      and afterward you will receive me to glory.
            25       Whom have I in heaven but you?
      And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
            26       My flesh and my heart may fail,
      but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

            27       For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
      you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
            28       But for me it is good to be near God;
      I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
      that I may tell of all your works.

This is why, though this passage and these events in Revelation are truly terrible, the people of God can rejoice over them.  Truthfully, it seems like the wicked and God-haters often are the ones that get ahead in life, which seems backwards.  Life is about trusting God with judgment, not ourselves.  He will make all things right in the end!  As we read on in Revelation, we're going to be moving away from judgment and into rejoicing over the redeeming work of God.  In the meantime, here's a great song called "Never Again" on this topic.

Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.

The Prostitute and the Beast
Of the prostitute, Babylon:
"Other commentators interpret Babylon principally in political, cultural, or commercial terms, a representative of the antiGod systems of man in any age. Ladd considers Babylon to be the symbol of human civilization with all its pomp and circumstance, organized in opposition to God, and Tenney agrees:

The great harlot represents more than one city and more than one era of history.… To the reader it would convey the sum total of pagan culture, social, intellectual, and commercial, that had opposed and oppressed the people of God from time immemorial.… The term seems to include more than any one city or civilization, though the actual city of Babylon, and perhaps Rome also, were the best examples of it in their day.

Ryrie writes:

  The name is used for more than a city in these chapters; it also stands for a system. This is much the same as the way Americans speak of Wall Street or Madison Avenue. They are actual streets, but they also stand for the financial and advertising enterprises.

Mounce identifies Babylon as “a dominant world system based on seduction for personal gain over against the righteous demands of a persecuted minority … the final intensified expression of worldly power”:

  Every great center of power which has prostituted its wealth and influence restores to life the spirit of Babylon, which will provide the social, religious, and political base for the last attempt of Antichrist to establish his kingdom." [1]

Of the beast:
"The scarlet beast (v. 3), it is generally agreed, is the same beast that arose from the sea in chapter 13." [2]

"Most...equate these ten horns with the ten toes of the image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2) and the ten horns on the fourth beast that Daniel saw rising from the sea (Daniel 7). They are confederate with the beast (v. 13) and will ultimately be made to make war with the Lamb (v. 14) at the Battle of Armageddon (cf. 19:17–21). This war, of course, will be won by the Lamb, since He alone is the victorious Lord of lords and King of kings (v. 14). Ryrie writes: “Christ’s titles, ‘King of kings’ and ‘Lord of lords,’ are especially significant in light of the lordship the beast will assume over these kings.”
The waters (v. 15) upon which the harlot sat are next defined as peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues." [3]

Confusing stuff to be sure, but as we press forward, we're coming to the undeniable point of Revelation:  whether you're a futurist or not, whether you understand a lot of the symbolism and prophecy or none of it, Jesus wins.  Those that set themselves against Him will ultimately be defeated and He will claim His rightful throne and authority!

Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.

Seven Bowls
Chapter 15 in many ways is a lead-up to chapter 16:  the angels make their appearance, but it is in chapter 16 the the bowls of God's wrath are to be poured out.  So what do we make of these plagues?  Are they literal or symbolic?  If you've been reading, you'll know that I think they're literal. 

"The greatest plagues of judgment of which we read in the past were those poured out upon ancient Egypt. They were literal plagues, which happened according to the terms in which they are recorded. These seven plagues are the consummation of God’s judgment plagues, including in them all that have gone before, and rendering in final and intensest perfection what was previously rehearsed on a smaller scale, preliminary to the great performance. What the preparatory rehearsal was, that must the final rendering be. The last plagues must therefore be literal too." [1]

The bowls will be poured out in the second half of the tribulation, known has the Great Tribulation, and will be one of the last things to happen before the tribulation is ended. Things climax in a final battle, which some say would be a kind of World War 3 (if it happens in our day).  Demons will go forth and stir the nations against God.

"Since the nations of the whole world will be effectively under a single government during the Tribulation, how it will be possible for there to be a world war at the end of the Tribulation?
One answer suggests that the armies, all loyal to the beast, are gathered in anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ to make war against Him and His heavenly armies (17:14; 19:19)." [2]

Another option is that this war is made against all believers still alive.  There will be people that turn to Jesus during the Tribulation - that we already know.  Many of them will die, particularly when making the decision not to take the mark of the beast.  But it is very possible/probably that there will be many still alive that have been in hiding, most notably the 144,000 hiding in the desert that we read about before.  There is definitely conjecture here, but the battle is certain.  This could be a single battle or a collection of them, but my feeling is that it is a single battle which is ultimately put to a stop by the pouring out of the 7th bowl that destroys everything, causing the fall of Babylon (referring either to an actual city that is the seat of the world government of the antichrist, or symbolically of the forces that band against God).  The next chapters will dwell upon these events and the fall of Babylon.

Merry Christmas everyone!  I'm taking the day off today because of the holiday, but we'll make it up with two posts on Boxing Day!

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Babylon in Revelation
"This is the first reference to Babylon in Revelation, though the details regarding Babylon’s offense and judgment will be dealt with at great length in chapters 17 and 18. Gaebelein writes: “This is an anticipative announcement of what will also happen as the great tribulation nears its close.” Ryrie writes that

  the repetition of “is fallen” emphasizes the certainty of the utter destruction of Babylon. This is anticipatory since Babylon’s actual fall is connected with the outpouring of the seventh [bowl]...

Just as Babylon of old was the fountainhead of idolatry, so is mystic Babylon today the mother of all false religious teaching in Christianity. In the time of the end it will be headed up in one great false church—that worldly church, which has proved so unworthy and false to her Lord, is to be broken absolutely to pieces, to be utterly destroyed." [1]

So, in Revelation, Babylon may refer to a city that is the center of the new religion and politics of the world, but it certainly is symbolic of false teaching that is epitomized in the last days with the worship of the antichrist as God.  False teaching has always been present and symbolized with Babylon (with an additional linguistic connection to Babel, where men also rebelled).  This will reach a crisis point in the last days as almost all of the world worships the antichrist, but will also ultimately meet its demise at God's hand and with His wrath.

Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.

Two Beasts
Today is going to be a lot of summarizing and quoting because it is again a difficult passage that spans a lot of information.

So, who or what are these beasts?

"...among premillennial expositors, the trend seems to be to identify all of these terms [the man of sin (2 Thess. 2:3), the little horn (Dan. 7:8), the prince that shall come (Dan. 9:26), the willful king (Dan. 11:36ff), Antichrist (1 John 2:18)] with the first beast and relegate the second beast to a subordinate role as a religious, rather than a political ruler." [1]

This idea, which I happen to agree with, places the identity of the first beast as the antichrist and the second best as a lesser ruler, a kind of lackey that is the second-in-command to the antichrist, most likely as the leader of a religion centered around the antichrist.  With the identities of the beasts placed, one still needs to figure out some of the events portrayed here and what they mean.

Rising out of the sea (first beast):  Some take this to be a reference that the antichrist will come from a nation surrounding the Mediterranean.  More likely it is merely a reference indicating that the antichrist will be gentile, not jewish.  "The sea" is sometimes used it signify gentile nations in the Bible.

The physical appearance of the first beast:  this combines the attributes of the four animals/kingdoms in Daniel 7:

"In Daniel 7, the lion was Babylon; the bear, Medo-Persia; the leopard, Macedonia (Greece); and the ten-horned beast was Rome. The animal-like traits of the beast (v. 2) combine the components of all four of Daniel’s beasts." [2]

I (and others) take this to mean that the antichrist will epitomize the attributes of these kingdoms and create a worldwide government that spans over the entire earth.  Additionally, many also think that these one-world government will be split into ten regions because of comments both here and in the book of Daniel.

Head with the mortal wound: I and others take this to mean that though the antichrist will have great political popularity at first, things will eventually move into worship after an assassination.  There will be an assassination in which the antichrist is fatally wounded in the head, but is raised from the dead by Satan.  Already popular, this will secure his god-status among the people of the earth and they will actually move into worship of the beast/antichrist.  The second beast leads the worship cult of the antichrist (see verse 14) and even performs wonders (presumably by the power of Satan).

42 months: Another reference to the second half of the tribulation, the Great Tribulation in which the antichrist makes war against the people of God as the rest of the world turns in worship to him.

The mark of the beast:  666 is a confusing number, and host to a staggering number of theories.  About the meaning of the number itself, I'm not exactly sure - there are so many theories that it's impossible to know for sure.  I'm inclined to think that the number is symbolic - whereas 777 would be considered to be a perfect number, 666 would be considered to perpetually fall short of that and therefore be a very fitting number for the antichrist.

As for the mark itself, there isn't full agreement, but I'll tell you what I think, which is a relatively common view.  I think that in the last days that money will and trade will be conducted entirely on a digital credit/debit system.  We now use cards for this sort of thing, but in those days I think it will be either through an actual tattoo on the skin or possibly a computer chip.  Either way, there will be some kind of mark that allows for trade.  In earlier times I think that this would be a very difficult concept for people to visualize, but in our modern world the idea that trade is done digitally through a chip or other identifying mark is not at all hard to envision.  Those who refuse to take the mark of the antichrist are not only forbidden to trade (for obvious reasons), but are ultimately killed for their refusal to go along with the rest of the world in following the antichrist. 

Well...that's my best attempt at this difficult passage - I hope it's helpful in some way.  I've tried to synthesize the most common views and interject my own opinion based on the text to the best of my ability, but we'll only know the details for sure when the end comes.  May Jesus come quickly!