“Word for Today” – Philemon – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
Earlier this week, Melody and I were visiting some friends south of Houston. This couple has two adorable children, Ellie and Ethan. Melody, of course, took an immediate liking to both of them. At one point during our first day there, Melody was holding Ethan and wanted to run upstairs and grab something before we were to go and run some errands. She looked at me and said, “I need to run upstairs and grab something.” To which I responded, “Okay.” Clearly frustrated by my obvious oblivion, she said, “Fine, I’ll just carry Ethan up the stairs with me while I go and get what I need.” “But I didn’t know you wanted me to hold Ethan!” I protested. “You never asked me to hold him!”
I’m not very good at recognizing non-verbal cues. “Reading between the lines” and “taking hints” are most definitely not my spiritual gifts, often to the frustration of my wife, who expects me to be able to read her glances, gestures, and tone of voice. Although I’ve gotten slightly better, I admittedly still have a long way to go.
Our reading for today from Philemon is an appeal from the apostle Paul to a slave owner of the same name. Apparently, one of Philemon’s slaves, Onesimus, had run away and, by what appears to be an act of divine providence, had met Paul and become a partner with him in ministry. In this short letter, Paul appeals to Philemon for leniency toward Onesimus, since the crime of running away while enslaved carried with it brutal punishments. Walter Elwell and Robert Yarbrough write about these punishments: “[Running away] was a serious crime, which resulted in stern punishment if the offender was caught. Burning, branding, maiming, or even death was possible.” (Encountering the New Testament, 2nd ed. [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005], p. 321).
Even though Paul’s initial appeal for leniency is quite clear, in order to fully understand Paul’s letter to Philemon and discern his true intentions, we must “read between the lines,” as it were, and “take hints.” Paul opens his appeal:
Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul – an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus – I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. (verses 8-10)
Paul, in his opening statements, refuses to baldly order Philemon with regard to Onesimus. But he certainly drops plenty of hints. He writes, “Perhaps the reason Onesimus was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good – no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother.“ (verses 15-16). Paul tells Philemon that he should recognize Onesimus not just as his slave, but as his brother in Christ. Paul then continues, expressing his confidence that Philemon will go beyond just recognizing him as a brother to treating him as a brother: “Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask” (verse 21). What is Paul here implying? It seems to be emancipation. Paul seems to be arguing that freedom in Christ should be a catalyst toward freedom from slavery. And just in case Philemon may be reticent to accept Paul’s subtle urging, Paul adds one final word: “And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers” (verse 22). In other words, Paul is telling Philemon, “I’ll be by to check up on my friend Onesimus. So, I hope you’ve ‘read between the lines’ and have ‘taken a hint’ from my letter. I hope you’ve freed Onesimus.”
Sometimes, being a Christian can involve a fair amount of “reading between the lines” and “taking hints.” For we are called to notice pains, hurts, wounds, and worries that often the rest of the world overlooks in its crush of hurried self-absorption. If someone says they’re doing “just fine,” but you can tell merely by the tone of their voice that their heart is heavy, do you pry a little deeper? If someone seems to need your assistance, even when you’re running a tight schedule, do you pause to offer a helping hand? Do you “read between the lines” and “take hints” to try to distinguish between what people say and what they actually mean…and what they really need? My prayer for you today is that, even if with just one person, you press beyond your normal, everyday surface conversations and “read between the lines” and “take a hint” and discover someone’s deeper needs. For this is the place where God’s love can ease troubled a heart and sooth a worried a soul.
“Word for Today” – Revelation 22 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
One of my wife Melody’s favorite TV shows is “Clean House” on the Style Network. This lighthearted series features host Niecy Nash and her team of designers who travel throughout Southern California helping people in embarrassingly messy living quarters clean out their clutter and put their homes back together. During the first half of the show, Nash and her team scour their patrons’ home looking for items to put out in a yard sale, the profits from which they use to redecorate and makeover the house.
I always find fascinating the reactions of the show’s clients when they are asked to part with certain possession so that they may turn a good profit in the yard sale. Sure the treadmill may have been sitting in the back room as a clothes rack for the past five years. But the homeowners vow to use it “one day.” Sure the chest may have been sitting in the attic for some two decades collecting nothing but dust. But the homeowners swear they will pull it down and sort through its items any day now. Sure there are a bunch of tools hiding out in the back shed which the owners didn’t even know about. But now that they know, these tools are certainly sorely needed. These people, for all the promises that this show makes about the organized and clutter free life “Clean House” can bring them, regularly have a difficult time parting with a bunch of stuff they don’t need.
We are a nation of keepers. We keep our memories in photo albums to keep them safe. We keep our sports car in the garage to keep it from getting dirty. We keep our computers up to date to keep them from getting viruses. We keep so many things.
And yet, there are some things – some things which are more precious and valuable than many of the things we so carefully keep – which we do not keep like we should. The father who does not keep the promise to his son to take him to the ballpark because he is too busy. The couple who does not keep their vows to each other and shatters their marriage with infidelity. The businessperson who does not keep his eye on the ball to see a project through to its end. For all the things we do keep, there are just as many things – many important things – which we don’t.
Jesus, in John’s closing vision in Revelation 22, leaves the apostle with this commission: “Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.” Jesus, it seems, wants John to carefully keep his words.
The Greek word for “keep” is tereo. And this word is used in the New Testament to encourage us to “keep” the important things of God. First and foremost, this word is used to encourage us to keep belieiving God’s Word. As the book of Revelation opens, John writes, “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near” (Revelation 1:3). The Greek word for “take to heart” is tereo. Thus, when God speaks in his Word, we should always take it to heart. We should always believe what he says. For his words are words of life. Second, this word is used to encourage us to keep obeying God’s commands. Jesus says, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). The Greek word for “obey” is tereo. Thus, we are to keep God’s commands. We are to walk according to his ways every day. Third, this word is used to encourage us to keep the faith until we finish its course. The apostle Paul, as he is nearing the end of his life, writes, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Through it all – good times and bad, joyous times and sad – Paul has refused to relinquish his trust and hope in Christ. He has stood firm until the end. He has kept his faith. So should we.
As John’s Revelation draws to a close, then, we are called to believe, obey, and stand fast until the end. For this is the Christian life. And with John’s vision, we not only receive a commission for this life, but a glimpse into the life of hereafter. Thus, as we wrap up this sometimes confusing, but always important and precious, book, my encouragement to you is simply this: Keep on. Keep on believing. Keep on obeying. Keep on standing firm in your faith. And you will receive the crown of life. I’m sure it will look great on you. Until then, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen” (verse 21).
“Word for Today” – Revelation 21 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
For several weeks over the summer, Melody and I had the opportunity to “cat-sit” two cats for a friend of ours. I love cats. Melody, however, is not nearly so affectionate toward the frolicking felines. And frolicking these two cats were. Usually in the middle of the night. Melody and I would be fast asleep, only to be jolted awake by the scurry of two cats playfully chasing each other directly into our bedroom. This flurry of activity was often followed by a loud thump, coming from something which the cats had inadvertently knocked over in the middle of their antics. “Get those cats out of here!” my wife would exclaim, clearly frustrated by their raucous nocturnal rowdiness. So, I would get up, usher the cats out of our room, and then shut our door. “There. Now maybe we can finally get some shut eye,” I would think to myself. But it never took long. Minutes after I would shut our bedroom door to bar the cats from entering, a paw would appear, reaching through the crack between the floor and the door. And then I’d hear, “Meow. Meow.” I couldn’t help myself. I would always melt with delight. “Ah. How cute,” came my reflexive response. Melody was not so amused.
In our reading for today from Revelation 21, we catch a glimpse into the new Jerusalem, that is, the new creation which God will usher in on the Last Day. In John’s description of this cosmic metropolis, I find this to be especially notable: “On no day will Jerusalem’s gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there” (verse 25). Like I would shut our bedroom door at night to keep out the cats, ancient cities would often shut their gates at night to keep out nefarious invaders. For example, when the city of Jericho learns that the Israelites are drawing near to attack, the book of Joshua notes, “Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in” (Joshua 6:1). Ancient cities closed their gates. The new Jerusalem will not.
Why is this? Because unlike the municipalities of antiquity, the new Jerusalem will have no foes of which to be afraid. For all of the city’s enemies will have been conquered, even as John says: “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (verse 8). Thus, Jesus opens the city’s doors.
Jesus is in the business of opening doors. As Jesus himself says, “Knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). Paul, after a mission tour through Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe rejoices that God “had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27). He later prays “that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains” (Colossians 4:3). Christ’s desire is to open doors for his followers. Even at the beginning of Revelation, Jesus exclaims to the church at Philadelphia, “See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut (Revelation 3:8).
There’s an old, oft-repeated, and tired Christian cliché: “Whenever God closes one door, he always opens a window.” The premise of this statement is that God will make a way, even when things don’t turn out how you might expect or want them to. As much as I appreciate the general sentiment, I’m not so sure that the specific imagery is accurate. For when it comes to this specific image of a door, Scripture portrays God as one who opens doors rather than closing them. If we run up against a roadblock, before we blame God for slamming a door in our face, perhaps we should ask ourselves if the door was ever open in the first place. Or perhaps we should ask ourselves if it was our own sinfulness that closed a door rather than God. In fact, the only time that God is portrayed as closing a door is in Luke 13:23-28 when someone asks Jesus:
“Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth.”
The door out of hell, it seems, will be locked up tight by Christ so that the gates of the new Jerusalem can be left open, free from the fear of God’s enemies.
So today, rather than bemoaning the “closed doors” in your life, why don’t you thank God for the ones he has opened for you? For they are many. He has opened the door to his knowledge through the pages of Scripture. He has opened the door to forgiveness through his Son, Jesus Christ. And he has opened the gates of his new Jerusalem so that we may come in. I can’t wait to walk through.
“Word for Today” – Revelation 20 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
I have long had an obsessive affinity for books. I love them. I read them. I display them proudly on many shelves in my office. And I keep buying more of them. I just can’t get enough of books. Especially books about Jesus.
As much as I love my books, one job I can never imagine having is that of a bookkeeper. At first thought, it sounds like a dream job: a book-keeper. But the books that a bookkeeper keeps don’t contain insightful and marvelous words about Jesus. Instead, they contain cryptic and confusing numbers. Black numbers. Red numbers. Line item numbers. Break down numbers. Cash based numbers. Accrual numbers. Just thinking about all those numbers is enough to give me a headache. Those who can think about and decipher all these numbers have my highest respect and, many times, my tax records as well. Because I’ll gladly pay a CPA to reconcile my books with IRS’s books. For as much as I might enjoy and devour books with words, I am at a loss when it comes to books with lots of numbers.
In our reading for today from Revelation 20, John tosses around some numbers. Actually, mercifully, he tosses around only one number: 1,000. And yet, even though it’s only one number, this one number has proven to be a source of more confusion and debate than even Bernie Madoff’s books. John writes:
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (verses 1-4)
The church has interpreted this thousand-year reign of Christ, described by John, in three primary ways. One interpretation is that of premillenialism, which says that Christ will return and usher in his perfect rule after this present age. Another is the interpretation of postmillennialism, which says that the world is slowly, but inexorably, moving toward a utopian society where we will enjoy an extended period of peace and prosperity. And still another interpretation is that of amillenialism, which says that we are currently living in a symbolic millennium, living under Christ’s rule with Satan being bound by the gospel.
As much as I don’t like numbers, I have taken some time to study this number. After all, this number is a number that has to do with God himself. And after much study, my preferred interpretation of John’s famed number, and the interpretation I think fits best with the context of Revelation 20, is amillenialism. There are three things that lead me to this stance. First, the two other times the number 1,000 is used in the Scriptures to refer to time are in Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8, both of which clearly use the number 1,000 symbolically to refer to the timelessness of God. Thus, I don’t think this time frame should idiosyncratically be interpreted literally here. Second, this rule of Christ during the millennium seems to take place from heaven, not on earth, as the premillenialists claim. The heavenly “thrones” and “souls” clue us into this fact (cf. verse 4). Third, nowhere does Scripture teach a more than one second coming of Christ. And yet, to have an earthly literal millennium, Christ would have to have a “first second coming” to set up his millennial kingdom on earth and then a “second second coming” to judge the living and the dead. This does not harmonize with the rest of Scripture. Indeed, Christ’s one and only second coming is described in verses 11-21, taking place after the figurative millennium in which we live right now.
Interestingly, at this second coming, we are shown some books. These are books, kept by God, which he uses to “judge the dead according to what they had done as recorded in the books” (verse 12). But not only are there books, there is also a book of life (cf., verse 12), containing the names of those washed by the blood of the Lamb. In other words, you can either be judged by the books or be judged by the book. You can either be judged according to what you have done and works God has recorded in his books or be judged according to the what the Lamb has done and how he has written your name in God’s book of life. Although I love having many, many books, there’s only one book I’ll want to see that day. And it won’t be the books filled with my works, for those are certain to be shameful and embarrassing. No, I’ll want to see only the book with my name in it, splattered in blood by the Lamb. For that book is my book of life. I hope it’s yours too.
“Word for Today” – Revelation 19 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
I’ve never been a big fan of Grimm’s fairy tales. I know it’s almost required that parents share these tried and not-so-true tales with their little ones, but I’m not so sure that some of Grimm’s story lines are suitable for little ears. After all, Snow White gets sacked by a poison apple given to her by a wicked witch. Rumpelstiltskin meets his angry and gruesome demise by sinking into a pit and tearing himself in two. And Little Red Riding Hood is rescued from the jaws of a wolf by a hunter cuts open her prowling predator, fills him with stones, and then throws him into a well where he drowns. Yikes! Grimm’s fairy tales, quite frankly, seem much too grim to me to be read to small children.
Out of all of Grimm’s fairy tales, it is perhaps the story of Hansel and Gretel which disturbs me most. An evil stepmother who convinces her husband to abandon his children in the wilderness? A wicked woman who captures and tries to cook these two youngsters only to have the children turn the tables on her and shove her in the oven instead? Are you sure this is a fairy tale for children? It sounds more like a horror movie barely suitable for adults to me.
I must confess that, as I read through Revelation, I can sometimes feel as if I’m reading one of Grimm’s gruesome legends. This is especially true of our reading for today from Revelation 19. Everything begins beautifully: “After this I hard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments” (verses 1-2). That sounds pleasant enough. A heavenly chorus is singing praises to God. But by the end of the chapter, we are left with this scene: “The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh” (verse 21). Well that’s a pleasant takeaway: Birds gorging themselves on human flesh.
Though this may all seem a little “grim” at first, John is actually aiming for a happy ending to his tale, not a ghastly one. For at the same time we see birds feasting on earthly flesh, there is another heavenly feast also taking place. It is “the wedding supper of the Lamb” (verse 9)! And those who get to partake of such a feast do not languish in a diner’s dread, but rejoice in God’s sumptuous blessing (cf. verse 9). Who gets to partake of such a fine feast? Those who “are given fine linen, bright and clean” (verse 8). These laundered linens, of course, are those which have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. In other words, it is those who trust in Christ who get invited to this blissful banquet. And that means we are invited. For we have received our invitation to this holy meal at the foot of the cross where the Lamb shed his blood.
Sadly, those who do not trust in Christ have to attend the other, more macabre meal. Those who refuse to feast with the Lamb instead have the tables turned on them and become themselves food for God’s judgment, just like the wicked woman in Hansel and Gretel. But unlike Hansel and Gretel, this is no fairy tale. This is absolutely true. As the angel in John’s vision reminds us, “These are the true words of God” (verse 9).
John’s dual feasts paint starkly contrasting pictures. But John is not trying to turn our stomachs with some “Fear Factor” styled gastrointestinal curdling culinary challenge; rather, he is simply seeking to warn us: “You do not want to be a part of the earthly feast of judgment, especially since you can be a part of the heavenly feast of blessing. Simply wear the linen of the Lamb.” I hope you’re dressed for supper.
“Word for Today” – Revelation 18 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
I don’t like moving. I don’t like the packing. I don’t like the hauling. I don’t like the unpacking, sorting, and finding new places for everything in my new place. I don’t like moving. But perhaps the thing I dislike most when it comes to the whole moving experience is the obligatory call I have to make to the cable guy. You know how the conversation goes. I call and say, “I’ve just moved in to a new place and I would like someone to come out and hook up my cable TV and internet.” “Okay,” the associate responds in her best cheerful tenor, “We can schedule an appointment for two weeks from today between 8 am and 5 pm.” “Two weeks from today? Don’t you have anything sooner? And can’t you give me a more specific window of time than nine hours?” I ask. “No sir,” comes the polite reply. “I’m sorry, we can’t.” And so I wait. And after two weeks, the day finally comes. And I wait again. And I wait and I wait and I wait. And finally, at 4:30 in the afternoon, the cable guy shows up. And 15 minutes later, he’s finished. All that waiting for 15 minutes of labor. How frustrating.
After reading about a vile prostitute named Babylon in Revelation 17 (cf. Revelation 17:5) and how she became “drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus” (Revelation 17:6), we now read about this woman’s demise in today’s reading from Revelation 18. And her demise is a spectacular one. A chorus laments:
“Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come! Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin! Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!” (verses 10, 16-17, 19)
Babylon, the ultimate symbol of power, excess, and greed, has been utterly obliterated. As another chorus sings in the following chapter, “The smoke goes up from her forever and ever” (verse 3). But did you catch the pattern of the laments in chapter 18? Each lament begins with a double woe, accompanied by a reckoning of how long it will take to destroy her: “one hour.” One hour to for this giant of a spiritual harlot to meet her demise? That seems awfully swift.
One of the promises that we Christians receive concerning God’s judgment is that it will be swift and irrevocable. As Paul elsewhere writes, “For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3). Thus, in John’s vision, the enemies of God are destroyed in a mere hour while the people of God, in that same time frame, receive their anxiously anticipated salvation.
In the mean time, however, it can sometimes feel as though Christians are left waiting for a cable guy who has given them a painfully vague time frame as to when he will finally arrive. Jesus promises only that he will come “soon” (Revelation 22:20). Can’t he get any more precise than that? Actually, he can’t. For as Jesus himself admits, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36). But rest assured, even if it’s at 4:30 in the afternoon, Jesus will come. And when Jesus does come, the wait will most certainly be over. For his judgment will only take a moment.
Thankfully, while we’re waiting for Jesus to come, we need not sit around in our houses all day like I had to while waiting for the cable guy. Indeed, Jesus doesn’t want us to sit around all day waiting for him. Instead, he wants us to use this precious time to share his precious message of salvation. This is why Jesus declares, “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). Jesus, not desiring the destruction of sinners, is waiting as long as possible for us to share his message of grace before he ushers in his End. So don’t just sit there, share Jesus! After all, who knows? Jesus might just be waiting for you to share him with someone today. I hope you will.
“Word for Today” – Revelation 17 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
I find people who mix their metaphors, whether intentionally or unintentionally, to be quite entertaining. And people do this more often than you might think. Ray Romano, the American actor best known for his work on the sitcom “Everybody Love Raymond” is reported to have said, “Your dirty laundry is coming home to roost.” Is that because the chickens dirtied the laundry? Or how about the renowned English author Agatha Christie, who once penned these words: “One has to tidy up the loose ends.” Isn’t that, “Tie up the loose ends”? And then, leave it to a politician to really stick his foot in his mouth, as former vice president Al Gore did. Gore once quipped at a press conference, “We all know that a leopard can’t change his stripes.” And indeed that’s true. Mainly because a leopard doesn’t have any stripes. He has spots.
You would think that a writer as astute, observant, and careful as John would never commit such a cardinal literary sin like mixing his metaphors. But in Revelation 17, this is exactly what he does.
John sees a vision of a prostitute riding a beast who has emerged from the waters. This beast, John continues, has seven heads and ten horns (cf. verses 1-3). Now clearly, this language is to be interpreted metaphorically, as John himself later explains. He even “decodes,” as it were, bits and pieces of his metaphorical language for us: “The seven heads of the beast are the seven hills on which the woman sits” (verse 9). So this woman is sitting on some sort of seven-hilled landscape. But then John continues, “They are also the seven kings” (verse 10). Wait! I thought the seven heads of the beast were supposed to symbolize seven hills. How can they also symbolize seven kings?
With such a labyrinth of imagery, it’s no wonder that the book of Revelation can confuse and frustrate many. So let me see if I can help decipher some of John’s metaphors, mixed as they may be. The prostitute seems to represent those once faithful followers of God who turn away from him in apostasy. Indeed, the sad image of a harlot is common imagery in the Old Testament for Israel, who regularly turns away from God to follow her own sinful desires. As the prophet Isaiah says, “See how the faithful city of Jerusalem has become a harlot! She was once full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her – but now murderers” (Isaiah 1:21)! The beast out of the sea on which this woman sits seems to symbolize the Roman Empire, especially since this beast’s seven heads symbolize the “seven hills” (verse 9) on which Rome famously sits. The “seven kings,” then, could very well be some of the wicked Roman emperors with whom John would have had to contend as he wrote Revelation. For John had been exiled by these same emperors to the remote island of Patmos because he stood up for his faith in Christ when these emperors demanded that all subjects of the empire worship them as gods. In the end, however, although these are my educated guesses as to what this imagery in Revelation 17 represents, they are still only my educated guesses. In other words, I cannot, in the final analysis, decipher every one of John’s apocalyptic metaphors with precise specificity.
More than once, I have met a person who was convinced that he had every last one of the beasts, horns, kings, bowls, plagues, scrolls, and trumpets deciphered and decoded with the precise specificity that so stubbornly eludes me. And, oddly enough, all of these images from John’s book just happened to correspond with the news stories he had read in the New York Times earlier that morning! “The end of the world is at hand,” he would confidently, and even arrogantly, announce to me. Usually, I would respond with only a knowing glance. And then I would wait. Because while he was furiously readying himself for “apocalypse now,” I just continued on with my daily activities, content to leave the Lord’s return to the Lord. And eventually, the timetables he had placed on his predictions of doom and gloom expired. And he was proven wrong. Perhaps his precise specificity wasn’t so precise after all.
One of the reasons I believe John mixes his metaphors is to try to prevent us from engaging in interpretations of his writings which would foolishly and haughtily seek to decipher his metaphors with precise specificity. For John’s metaphors are not meant to be precise predictions, but general descriptions of the sad state of wickedness in the world and of the glorious promise of salvation with Christ. Sadly, this has not detoured many from their foolish, and so far completely wrongheaded, interpretations of John’s visions.
I cannot interpret John’s apocalyptic mixed metaphors specifically. I can only speak to them generally. And that’s okay. I think John intended it that way. But this I do know and this I do believe with amazing specificity: That “the Lamb will overcome evil because he is Lord of lords and King of kings – and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers” (verse 14). No matter what may come of John’s mixed metaphors, this I know: I will live eternally with the Lamb. And that makes me happy as an oyster. Or is that a clam?
“Word for Today” – Revelation 16 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
I am not a very competitive person, often to the chagrin of my wife, Melody. For example, if we are playing a game of Scrabble one evening, Melody will glance at her tiles and then study the board with steely eyed resolve, determined to use her “Q” and “X” in one word while also landing on a “Triple Word Score” space. But then, there’s me. “THE,” I’ll say in a monotone drone. “T-H-E.” “You’re not even trying!” Melody will respond. “It’s no fun to play with you unless you try to beat me!” But I’m just not a very competitive person. The thrill of a win feels muted to me while the pain of a loss feels blunted to me.
I am not a very competitive person. That is, unless I’m playing 42. This Texas domino classic captured my heart in seminary and has held it ever since. I’m not sure what it is about this one game that brings out my competitive edge, but I am fierce and focused when I play. I intensely study each and every domino, carefully strategizing my victory. And if I lose…well, let’s just say I can be less than a gracious loser, especially when I lose after betting on what I was certain was a winning hand. But sometimes, no matter what I do, no matter how carefully I strategize, and no matter how hard I try, the dominoes do not fall properly. And I lose. And I am not happy about it.
In Revelation 16, we are introduced to some very competitive people. But these people are not trying to compete at a game of Scrabble or even at a game of 42. No, these people are trying to compete against God. They stubbornly, unabashedly, and wildly defy God’s commands, trying to defeat God’s righteousness and usurp his authority. But no matter how hard they try, they keep on losing. And they are not happy about it. John writes, “They cursed the name of God…but they refused to repent and glorify him” (verse 9). They refused to admit, “I have lost at my game of wickedness. God is the winner. And I should declare him as such through repentance and worship.”
Finally, in one last ditch effort to defeat God, the wicked gather “together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” (verse 16). Without a doubt, much ink has been spilled over the famed Mountain of Megiddo and the impending gloomy and gory battle that will one day take place there. But even before this final cosmic war, because of its location at a strategic point along the Via Maris, an important ancient trade route, Armageddon has already served as the unfortunate site for countless monumental battles. As the biblical scholar Robert Mounce writes, “Armageddon is one of history’s famous battlefields, having witnessed major conflicts all the way ‘from one fought by Thuthmosis III in 1468 BC to that of Lord Allenby of Megiddo in 1917” (Revelation, 301). Indeed, this site is substantially stained with the blood of the fallen. Biblically, this is the same site on which Elijah competed with the prophets of Baal in a contest to see whose God was the true God (cf. 1 Kings 18:16-40). Elijah won handily.
For all the battles which have taken place at Armageddon, this final eschatological one is of a different sort. The wicked gather for war against God. Their swords are drawn, their bows are strung, their catapults are mounted, and their intentions are clear: To defeat the Lord and his righteous ones. But then, before a single arrow is fired and before a single sword is wielded, God announces, “It is done” (verse 17)! The battle ends before it can even begin. John’s description of the battle at Armageddon, then, is a far cry from the depictions of bloody carnage given to us in many popular Christian, which turn out also to be fictional, descriptions of this war. For no matter how hard they try, the wicked do not even have a chance at winning this war. They lose. And it is done.
The battle at Armageddon should offer us, as Christians, great comfort and hope because technically, it’s not even a battle. Rather, it’s a simple declaration of victory: “Christ has won over wickedness! It is done!” So when you face wickedness which harangues your morale and stresses your soul, remember that the battle has already been won. Wickedness doesn’t stand a chance. For our God has competed and won. And that’s a victory we can all be happy about.
“Word for Today” – Revelation 15 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
I’ll never forget my first visit to the first congregation I served at as a pastor. It was a church in a little town outside of Corpus Christi called Portland. I had hit the road early on a Tuesday morning to make a three and a half hour drive from Austin, where I was staying at the time, to Portland, my soon-to-be home. It was a pleasant drive, first down 1-35 from Austin to San Antonio, and then down I-37, headed toward Corpus Christi, until I got about twenty five miles north of the city. All of a sudden, dark and ominous clouds appeared on the horizon. And as I sped closer to my destination, I realized that the weather was about to take a turn for the worse.
And then, it happened.
The lightning flashed, the thunder rolled, the heavens opened up, the floodgates released, and the rain came pouring down. It was one of the most stunning displays of precipitation I had ever witnessed. I could barely see a foot in front of my windshield. Those last few miles took me a full hour to drive. And as I drove them, I thought to myself, “Is this some kind of hurricane? I’m not so sure I want to live here!”
Thankfully, my opinion soon changed. For the next time I returned to Portland, the sky was blue, the weather was pleasant, and as I sped over a picturesque causeway from Corpus Christi to Portland, I was enraptured by the sailboats drifting through the harbor and the maritime birds soaring up above. “This is more like it,” I thought to myself. “Now this feels like home!”
In our reading for today from Revelation 15, we see a storm of sorts, described as “the seven last plagues” (verse 1), which are representative of the unfortunate trials and tribulations that accompany the end times. Notably, during these stormy plagues, the temple in heaven is “filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, [so that] no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the sever angels were completed” (verse 8). In other words, much like a blue sky in a thunderstorm, there are portions of God’s counsel which remain somewhat shrouded during this spiritual storm.
The writers of Scripture have long noted that, in some sense, God remains hidden from us as we live our lives on earth and in sin. Paul describes it thusly: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways” (Romans 11:33). “Inscrutable.” Now there’s a word you don’t hear very often. It is the negative form of “scrutinize.” Paul us saying that, try as we might, we cannot scrutinize or analyze or standardize the way in which God works. His ways often remain dingily shadowed behind the smoke in Revelation’s temple. And yet, it will not always be this way.
Just like the clouds over Corpus Christi eventually broke and the storm eventually cleared, so too will the smoke from the temple one day dissipate and God in his full glory in righteousness will be revealed. Indeed, not only will the smoke from the temple clear, the temple itself will tumble! As John writes concerning the end of time, “I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Revelation 21:22). And then later, “We will see his face” (Revelation 22:4). We will one day see the entirety of God.
In the mean time, however, we’re still in the storm of plagues. Indeed, you experience this every time a financial crunch hits, a relationships breaks, or a loved one dies. And it is during these times that we wish we were able to peer into the smoke of God’s temple and scrutinize his job performance. But, frustratingly at times, we cannot. But the smoke will indeed dissipate. The temple will indeed tumble. And we will indeed see Jesus face to face. And when we do, we will declare, “Now this feels like home!” I can’t wait.
“Word for Today” – Revelation 14 – www.concordialutheranchurch.com
Perhaps it’s just part of the irreparable fissure between guys and gals. The other night, my wife Melody and I were sitting on our living room couch and I, remote in hand, was doing what any self-respecting, red-blooded American male would be doing at a time like this. I was channel surfing. Now, truth be told, I actually don’t do a lot of channel surfing. I usually only flip back and forth between two types of channels: news channels and sports channels. But on this particular day, the news was all Michael Jackson, a story which by this point had tired me, and the sports channels were saturated with Major League Baseball games which, although okay, are not merely as captivating to me as NBA or College Football games. Thus, in a quest for something interesting to watch, I ran the whole gamut of TV channels when I stumbled across the Discovery Health channel.
I’m still not sure what kind of surgery it was on the Discovery Health channel, but whatever it was, it was really cool. Scalpels, scissors, stitches, and lots of blood. Immediately I became transfixed. “Wow! That’s amazing,” I declared. Melody, however, was not so awed by the gruesome sight. “Yuck!” she exclaimed. “I don’t want to watch this. Turn the channel! Turn the channel!”
As I said, perhaps it’s just part of the irreparable fissure between guys and gals. Show me blood and I find it fascinating and interesting. Show my wife blood, however, and she turns away her head in disgust and disdain.
With that in mind, I suppose it’s really not surprising that the book of Revelation was written by a guy. For this apocalyptic narrative certainly has its share of blood. And today’s reading from Revelation 14 is no exception.
In what is yet another vision of God’s judgment of the world on the Last Day, John sees an angel executing divine wrath on those who do not believe in Christ. This angel is commanded:
“Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia. (verses 18-20)
On the Last Day, the enemies of God are trampled by God’s sickle of wrath. Such a punishment is fitting since, prior to their final judgment, they wickedly trampled on the saints of God (cf. Revelation 11:2). But now their judgment has come and now their blood will flow, rising as high as a horse’s bridle, approximately 5 feet high, and flowing a distance of 1,600 stadia, approximately the length of Palestine from north to south. Now that’s a lot of blood! Even with my affinity for surgery shows on the Discovery Health channel, I’m not so sure this is a sight I want to see. And it most definitely a judgment of which I don’t want to be a part.
Why would John paint such a gruesome picture of the Last Day and God’s judgment? To serve as a warning for those who do not trust in Christ for their salvation. It is especially interesting to note the location of where this judgment takes place: “outside the city” (verse 20). With a touch of poetic irony, this turns out to be the same place where blood once flowed from a Savior named Jesus: “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood” (Hebrews 13:12). The question that John is prompting us to ask, then, is, “Whose blood do we want to flow outside the city? Jesus’ blood for the forgiveness of our sins or our own blood at our impending destruction?” Sadly, many people, rather than relying on Jesus’ blood, prefer to give their own blood as recompense for their sins. But for those of us who trust in Christ, this need not be the case. Our blood need not flow. For Jesus’ blood has already flowed for us.
As much as I might like to watch doctors operate on others on the Discovery Health channel, I dread the notion of being operated on myself. I’m happy to watch other people’s blood, just not my own. Thankfully, for my salvation, I will never have to watch my own blood flow. For I have seen the blood flow from my Savior on the cross for my forgiveness. And that’s the only blood I need. And that’s the only blood you need too.
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