For Christian Sisters

Looking for the rescue

12 December 2021 AnneT The Little Book of the Revelation An ordered list of links for each blog series is on the Archive page. (0)

The Little Book of the Revelation - Thirteenth in a series

As we climb toward the top—or the end, as it were, of the Little Book, let us pause on a curve of the staircase to look back on our brief discussion of the Rapture. That was in Post 7.

Many cherished pastors preach that the faithful saints will be rescued from the time of the great tribulation. Their reasoning is that such punishing blows will be meted to the evil sinners not to the redeemed ones. ‘The gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church,’ they preach, but believers will go forth to loose and bind the powers of darkness, not being held captive in a world under the rule of the Antichrist.

This viewpoint in supported by passages such as this one in Luke:

  • But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. (Luk 21:36)

That verse caps off the discussion of the Lord with his disciples about the Temple being completely destroyed which he stated early in the discourse (Luk 21:6), and later referenced in a warning to flee Jerusalem to escape its total destruction. (Luk 21:20) He foretold that Jerusalem would be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (Luk 21:24)

He warned that antichrists would come in his name to lead men astray (Luk 21:8), that wars and tumults would spread on the earth but ‘the end is not immediately.’ (Luk 21:9) He said nation would rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and there would be great earthquakes, pestilences, fearful sights and signs from heaven. (Luk 21:10-11)

  • But before all these things, they shall lay their hands on you, and shall persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for my name’s sake. (Luk 21:12)

The Lord explained that they would be betrayed by parents, relatives and friends, who would cause some of them to be put to death. (Luk 21:16) Indeed, they would be hated by all men because they were God’s appointed messengers, yet ‘not a hair of your head shall perish.’ (Luk 21:18)

It would be their glory to be patient, and when they would see Jerusalem compassed with armies, they would know her desolation was imminent. (Luk 21:20) Then they should flee to the mountains and any in Israel should not enter Jerusalem. (Luk 21:20-24)

In commentaries we learn that the early Christians and noble Jews who had heard that warning took heed and fled across the Jordan River when Jerusalem came under siege, mostly to Pella and “we do not read of one who perished in Jerusalem.” (ref)

After the warning about the destruction of Jerusalem, the Lord continued to prophesy, but the time frame seems to have moved to a farther distance, when the second coming would occur. This passage that starts at verse 25 also seems to circle back to the previous predictions in verses 8-12. The disregard for chronological order may be frustrating to us, but is completely natural to the ancient Hebrew mind— as we had noted in Post 4. (ref)

Do not worry

In reading the full chapter of Luke 21 at your leisure, you may ponder whether the warning to watch and make supplication in order to escape the coming events (Luk 21:26) was in respect to 70 AD or to a much later date, which we today could embrace as a promise of being Raptured.

As we ponder, let us especially recall the Lord’s words that though one may die, not a hair of his or her head will perish. (Luk 21:16-18) Did the Lord not have hair after he was resurrected? And we will too. Some would say that all our bald spots will be repaired in that day of Rapture, that is, Resurrection!

Some popular books today envision a Rapture of believers whose unsaved loved ones and all unbelievers are left on the earth while Christians disappear in a time of great terror. Those left behind then struggle to discover what has occurred and how to adjust their lives.

Paul taught the Thessalonians that they should not worry that the Day of the Lord had come and gone and left them behind:

  • Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
  • That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
  • Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
  • Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. (2 Thess 2:1-4)

To summarize, Paul taught that the “gathering together” of the saints in the Lord would not occur before 1) an apostasy in the church, 2) the revealing of the Antichrist, and 3) his proclaiming himself to be God in a future temple.

  • And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
  • For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. (2 Thess 2:6-7)

“He who now letteth will let” refers to God, the only one who has power to control when end-time events come to pass. Then, the “he” who is “taken out of the way” could refer to the Antichrist, not to the Holy Spirit— which is a point of belief in the Rapture scenario. Those who espouse the Rapture believe that Paul refers here to God taking the Holy Spirit from the earth, along with the believers. But is this passage referring to the Holy Spirit or to the Antichrist?

  • And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
  • Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
  • And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (2 Thess 2:8-10)

In this passage, the man of sin is described as one who deceives by the display of lying wonders, and the hearts of unbelievers are described as ‘deceivable’ in their unrighteousness. Further, the hard-hearted apostates will perish because they ‘received not the love of the truth that they might be saved.’

Is this not saying that the Lord will at this time make clear to those who took the mark of the beast, that their “savior” is the great deceiver? Not only will the Antichrist be taken out of the way once he has played his part, but he will also be consumed “with the spirit of his mouth”— that is, the mouth of the Lord.

The imposter will be destroyed at the second coming of the Lord. This will make clear to those who took his mark that they have been deceived— they were wrong!

Thus, the Rapture is the Resurrection of believers, which also is termed the first resurrection (Rev 20:5, 6) or the resurrection of the just (Luk 14:14; Acts 24:15 ).

Which man is the son of perdition (2 Thess 2:3)?

Who is the “even him” (2 Thess 2:9 ASV) who demonstrates the power of Satan “with all power and signs and lying wonders”? Is “the son of perdition” the first beast or the second beast– the false prophet? A careful reading of Revelation 13 points to the second beast:

  • And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
  • And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
  • And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
  • And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. (Rev 13:11-14)

The false prophet (Rev 16:13; 19:20), not the first beast, is the one who “causes” (not necessarily forces) all people to worship the image of the beast or be slain, and to receive a mark in order to buy or sell. (Rev 13:15-17)

Perhaps “the mystery of iniquity” (2 Th 2:6-7) is that evil is permitted to harm and destroy the saints despite God being in full control. As one theologian has said, God has ordained evil; evil is not good but evil works toward good. (ref)

Reality check

We see that, initially, the beast arises as a configuration of nations which seems impossible to oppose. From that “system” one leader emerges, the first beast. Power is given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and power over the world is given to him. (Rev 13:1-7)

Are we seeing that beast emerge today?

Do we today see a great falling away from the faith and the churches, and apostates in many Christian churches who deny the ‘faith once for all delivered’? (Jde 1:3)

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The two witnesses

08 December 2021 AnneT The Little Book of the Revelation An ordered list of links for each blog series is on the Archive page. (0)

The Little Book of the Revelation - Twelfth in a series

Among the sevens, twelves, three and a halfs, forty-twos and so on, there are other important numbers in the Revelation, such as two. In Scripture, two speaks of unity, confirmation and strength.

  • Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. (Ecc 4:9)
  • VERSE 3a
    And I will give power unto my two witnesses

There are two ways (at least two) to regard the two witnesses: 1) They are real men who will arise in the end time, or 2) They symbolize two aspects of God’s power to work. In both cases, Bible expositors offer numerous ideas about who or what the two witnesses may be, and in either case their prophecy is about the Lord and his coming judgment.

In the first concept it may be Moses and Elijah, for example, or Enoch and Elijah. In the second, it could be the Old and New Testaments— law and gospel, or Christians and Messianic Jews.

I favor the symbolic viewpoint, though not dogmatically, and that grace and law are the two, as delineated in 2 Tim 2:19— Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, 1) The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, 2) Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

  • The Lord knoweth them that are His.
  • Those who base their faith on Christ’s atoning death on the cross are the sheep who hear the Shepherd’s voice. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand…” (John 10:27-29) See Rev 13:8.
  • Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
  • When we belong to Him, we are enabled by the Holy Spirit to live for Christ, in obedience to his teaching and commands. We are not those described by Jude, who turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness (license), thus denying our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:4) The unbeliever mocks the true faith by saying, “Let’s continue in sin that grace may abound.” (Rom 6:1) In other words, whatever a sinner does can be forgiven, so don’t sweat it. But that is not saving faith.

The two witnesses symbolize Christians who prove their salvation is by grace alone through faith alone as they live in obedience to Scripture. (Jas 2:26; Mat 5:18) What could be a more sure or any more convicting witness than the mature Christian?

That said, we all fall far short and sin daily, even hourly. But fortunately, under intense trials, our reliance upon the Lord increases exponentially, and should we ever find ourselves in the end-time great tribulation, without a doubt we would cry out for divine help so fervently that our capacity for obedience to God’s laws would measurably increase. I have always found that my ability to please the Lord is greatly enhanced when I am humbled and incapable of helping myself out of trouble.

What is your concept of the two witnesses? As Christians strive to interpret and to apply Scripture we are warned against adding to or taking away from it by any suggestion or view. Each person will reflect upon the verses and perhaps come to no conclusion, but let us all carefully consider the power, holiness, love and fear of God.

  • VERSE 3b
    and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days

As we have noted previously, this time period connects dots between and among numerous scenes: 1) the antichrist’s reign, 2) the protection of Israel by God, 3) the testimony of the two witnesses, and 4) the gentiles trampling on the holy city.

In saying that the time period connects dots, it would seem that all these activities are concurrent, and that the ‘time, times and half a time’ denoted would be the ‘great tribulation.’* (Dan 7:25, 12:7; Rev 12:14)

Perhaps this terror is not at the start or end of a seven year period, but within it. Perhaps it is to be understood as a segment rather than a definite length of time. We do read that the great tribulation has been shortened by God, otherwise no flesh would survive. (Mat 24:21-22)

The protection of Israel by God is noted twice in Revelation 12, in verses 6 and 14. In vs. 6 the time period is a thousand two hundred and threescore days, and in vs. 14 it is a time, and times and half a time. This double reference seems to be for confirmation that the Jews will be helped while they are yet in the wilderness, not in the settled place of rest.

  • VERSE 3c
    The witnesses are clothed in sackcloth.

True believers will understand what hour it is and will be of sober spirit in the final days, crying out for the salvation of family members and friends, and for those without any understanding, and they will mourn for the earth, God’s beautiful creation.

*Time, times and half a time is 1 year + 2 years + 1/2 year = 1260 days or 40 and 2 months, if a year is 360 days.

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'This one was born in Zion'

05 December 2021 AnneT The Little Book of the Revelation An ordered list of links for each blog series is on the Archive page. (0)

The Little Book of the Revelation - Eleventh in a series

In the final verse of Chapter 10 John is told he must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings. (Rev 10:11) This instruction is given after he has eaten the booklet and developed a sour stomach.

We begin now to consider the message of the Little Book (Rev 11:1-14), verse by verse.

  • Rev 11:1
    And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and one said, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

John is asked to measure his fellow Jews. Scholars generally agreed that The Revelation was written in AD 95, so the temple that John had known no longer stood— it had been destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. The temple with its altar in John’s vision was symbolic of those Jews who continued to look to the practice of ritual sacrifice in worship. Or if he saw a third temple, one not yet constructed, it was devoid of the light of the Gospel.

John saw that the Jews fell short of their prophesied renewal of heart and mind. (Ez 34:15) They did not measure up to God’s standard of enlightenment through embracing Christ’s atonement for their sin.

John is told not to measure the outer court of the temple:

  • Rev 11:2
    And the court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it hath been given unto the nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

The Temple's outer courts are thus envisioned as occupied by gentiles, and beyond these courts, they tread on the holy city as well. Thus would John be grief-stricken to see the Jerusalem of his vision.

The first century Temple

Herod the Great embellished the Temple Mount as a building project during the generation before Christ was born. More about Herod’s temple can be read here. A model of it is shown.

Conrad schik 6070220 (cropped).JPG
By Ranbar - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Perhaps John saw the Temple as he knew it, with its environs as Herod had embellished them. Herod had made it a crossroads of humanity for trading and a vacation spot for travelers, a place of international repute which some called the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Who or what is in view?

If the practicing Jews fell far short of God’s standards and enlightenment, how much more deficient would those be who live outside of them? To try to measure their demonstrated ignorance would take a reed too long for anyone but the Lord to grasp. (Hab 3:6) Many cultural Jews reside today in the outer courts, figuratively, and they did in former generations as well. (Rev 2:9; Rev 3:9)

Some would point out that Jerusalem today is under the rule of Jews, not gentiles. Retaking Jerusalem from the Arabs in the Six Day War of 1967 returned its governance to the Jews. So, does John’s vision portend a new turn of events for us or any who are alive at the end of days, when gentiles, other nations, overtake Jerusalem? Or, that the influence of heathens will be overwhelming? Or, is the Jerusalem of the Little Book a symbolic one?

Upon whom or what are these gentiles (heathens) treading for 42 months? Are they simply occupying the ‘holy city’— the city of Jerusalem in some future political turn of events? Is ‘treading’ the same as governing?

Zechariah 12 states that Jerusalem ‘in that day’ (the time of the end of days) will become a burdensome stone for all people— “All that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” (Zec 12:3) That chapter also prophesies a glorious victory for the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the day when they realize Christ is Lord. Would that Jerusalem not be the geographic one?

Two Jerusalems

Paul speaks of two Jerusalems, one on earth still in bondage with her children (Gal 4:24-25), that is, those measured by John in the Temple who adhere to the covenant of Mount Sinai, and one above which is free, the mother of the children of the promise. (Gal 4:26-28)

The Jerusalem above symbolizes the city of God, Zion, where all Messianic Jews and Christians are born and reside. This imagery is introduced in the Psalms:

  • And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the highest himself shall establish her. (Ps 87:5)

In verse 2 (Rev 11:2) John refers to Jerusalem as the ‘holy city.’ But later in the Little Book, Jerusalem is referred to as the ‘great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.’ (Rev 11:8) So, is the ‘holy city’ of verse 2 also the ‘great city’ (Sodom, Egypt) of verse 8? Or, is it not a hopeful view to the future Jerusalem that cannot appear before the return of Christ?

We had read in chapter 7 that ‘peoples, tongues, nations and tribes’ who stood before God’s throne had emerged from the great tribulation. (Rev 7:9) As well, we read in the Little Book that (some) ‘people and kindreds and tongues and nations’ hate God’s messengers. (Rev 11:9)

A dilemma of language is in play. Yet, this confusion of groups may assist to contrast the Jerusalem that is trodden under by gentiles with the Jerusalem that is a holy city. (Rev 11:2) Those in bondage despise those who are free. This points us to a view of Jerusalem as a symbol that is a duality.

As well, there are the natural branches of the olive tree and those grafted into it, (Rom 11:17-23) that is, both the Messianic and the ‘remnant’ Jews— and the Christians. Messianic Jews and Christians are friends, but from the perspective of the end-times, the ‘remnant ’ Jews are yet the enemies of Christians and born-again Jews, making them a warring brotherhood, but a new day will come. Were not all ‘born in Zion?’

These groups are in a family feud. In Posts 5 and 6 they were described, and a contrast was drawn between them, with the Jews having a mark from God to protect them, but the Christians and Messianic Jews would not need such a mark, for they are already marked for security by the blood of the lamb.

But would the Christians and saved Jews’ special identity denoted by ‘the blood’ protect them from persecution? Their security in the Lord prevented them from going to hell, but it did not prevent them from dying as martyrs. (Rev 6:9-11)

They were the witnesses whom the ‘marked’ Jews needed to see, to understand what it means to be saved. We will consider the portion of Scripture that describes the two witnesses in the next post.

And what about the enemies who are irretrievably lost souls— the ones not in the symbolic 144,000 and the reprobate gentiles? The fate of these, too, is addressed in the Revelation, but not so much in the Little Book.

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