At Home On Piety Hill

Today I called into the Rush Limbaugh radio program and made my talk radio debut to approximately 15 million listeners. The really cool part is that my remark about the film Mars Attacks became the inspiration for Rush’s parody, Mahmoud Attacks in his regular feature, See, I Told You So… (“You can stream the audio of the call segment here)
I am the caller identified as “Arthur from Nevada City.” I used my middle name, in case I totally embarassed and humiliated myself. I pointed out that, while the press is receiving the letter from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to President Bush as some sort of diplomatic overature of peace, the text of the message actually sounds like a religious authority claim by Ahmadinejad, calling Bush to repentance and the recognition that the Qaim, the messianic figure in Twelver Shi’ism, is at the door. Instead of a friendly appeal to avert a nuclear showdown, this epistle may be akin to the Martian declaration, “we come in peace,” being broadcast while blasting or disintegrating anything and anyone within range! It was comforting to know that Condoleeza Rice sees the letter for what it is, a sermon on “history, philosophy and religion.” It may be more than that, but only time will tell. Keep your eyes on the horizon for the Black Standard at the head of an army coming out of Khurasan!

Rush took off on the Mars Attacks remark, so I didn’t really get into the details about the letter. I wrote a paper some time ago about the Bab, a nineteenth century claimant to Mahdihood, and you may glean some insight under the heading Holy War and the Babi Uprising at Shaykh Tabarsi. Also, Juan R. Cole wrote an article about the messianic claims of Baha’u'llah and the letters he sent to world political and religious leaders, calling them to repentance and the recognition of his exalted station. I think you will see what I was getting at. Do I think Ahmadinejad is claiming Mahdihood? Not really. Some other authority claim? Perhaps. Still, it’s funny to watch the sympathetic response to the letter in the Congress and the press — they do not have a clue about what’s going on in this man’s head.

P.S. In the transcript of my call, “Twelver” is the word that was “unintelligable” right before “Muslims.”

Transcript:

I just took the eschatology quiz at QuizFarm.com to see where I slot in on the end times spectrum. It looks like a pretty solid analysis:

The 28 questions yielded an eerily accurate picture of where I stand on the issues. Now, before you go off to QuizFarm, I should warn you that there are some pretty raunchy drills over there, so be careful. On the other hand, you have nothing to fear when you pull up a seat at the Revelation Roundtable (which I have just recently updated).

Today I got my Revelation Roundtable blog shaped up. We are going through the Book of Revelation in our Tuesday night Bible study. When you study Revelation in a group, you have to choose one of a number of approaches and follow it through. There simply isn’t enough time to discuss all the different options and questions which pop up, so I hope we will be able to engage in further discussion through the blog. Feel free to drop by and participate or just follow the converstion.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” Revelation 4:6b – 8

Jim and Kevin wondered if the faces of the four creatures might relate to Israel somehow or if that idea, which they remembered hearing before, really had any validity. Again, what do we know? We see simile again; the first creature was like a lion. But, what significance can we see in them? Well, we saw the relation to the common thread running through chapter 4 and that is God receiving glory in all of creation. So, what about the appearance of the four creatures and their relation to Israel in the wilderness? Actually, Beale finds a source in the Targums and provides an application here:

The tribes of Israel were divided into four groups in the wilderness, and each group was located at one of the four directions of the compass, with the sanctuary in the middle of the camp. According to Targ. Pal. Num. 2 each group had a standard with the colors of the stones representing their tribes on the priest’s breastplate and with an insignia on it: a lion, a stag (originally an ox), a man, and a serpent (which later tradition changed to an eagle). Later Jewish tradition affirmed that this configuration was intended to reflect the arrangement of the four guardian angels around the divine throne… it could suggest further that the living creatures in Rev. 4:8ff represent humanity, especially the worship of the ideal community of God. The Book of Revelation pg. 331

On the identification of the creatures with the four gospels, George Eldon Ladd gives us a brief synopsis for those who may want to track these down:

From early times, these four creatures have been thought to represent the four gospels. Irenaeus… thought that the lion represented John, the ox Luke, the man Matthew, and the Eagle Mark. Victorinus… followed by Jerome … changed the order. The lion was Matthew, the man Mark, the ox Luke, and the eagle John. Such interpretations are interesting… A Commentary of the Revelation of John pp. 77 & 78

John Walvoord gives us a very good discussion on the four creatures in The Revelation of Jesus Christ pp.108 – 112 and comes to virtually the same conclusion as Beale, Alan Johnson and Robert Mounce; the creatures are angelic or heavenly beings, reflecting God’s majesty, “fullness of life and power.”

Tonight, at our study in Revelation we discussed thoroughly the thrust of chapter 4, which we concluded was the centrality of God in His universe and the promise that in heaven and soon (we hope) on earth, all creation will fulfill it’s purpose in glorifying God and bringing Him praise.

Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. Revelation 4:6

Some of us were captivated by the imagery of the sea of glass and Paul took us to Ezekiel chapter 1, the most likely background for John’s image. Jen began musing on this and wondered if there was a connection between the sea of glass in chapter 4, the crystal expanse in Ezekiel 1 and the sea spoken of in Revelation 15, where the victors stand on the shore of the sea of “glass mixed with fire.” Then, she went to the “river of the water of life” in chapter 22. She wondered if she was coming up with a novel concept or if someone else had followed these lines. I quote Greg Beale, who is so thorough:

The “sea” is also associated with the idea of evil. Caird has argued that here it connotes cosmic evil, since it often has such a nuance in the OT and sometimes elsewhere in Revelation (see Rev. 13:1; 21:; and especially 15:2, as well as “abyss” in 11:7). This speculation receives support from the modeling of these chapters on Daniel 7, and the scenes of Daniel 7 and Ezekiel 1 have integral literary links, the former usually seen as dependent on the latter… In view of the Daniel and Exodus [24:9-1] imagery, there is then a hint that John sees the chaotic powers of the sea as calmed by divine sovereignty. Rev. 5:5ff reveals that Christ’s overcoming through his death and resurrection is what defeated the power of evil and so calmed Satan’s watery, tumultuous abode. 4:6 gives a picture of the stilling of the hellish waters from the heavenly perspective, though the devil displays his wrath even more furiously on earth because he has been decisively defeated in heaven… The lamb’s “overcoming” has also paved the way for the saint’s “overcoming” of the beast at the same sea, as pictured in 15:2-4. When John later says that “there is no longer any sea” (21:1), he means that all evil on the earth will be not only defeated but also eradicated when Christ’s kingdom is established consummately on earth. In fact, the “sea of glass like a crystal before the throne” in 4:6 may be an intentional contrast with “a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne” in 22:1. The sea as the source of satanic evil opposing God’s throne has been eliminated and replaced by the river of redemption, which has its source in the throne. The Book of Revelation, pp 327 & 328

That sounds almost exactly the way Jen articulated it to me. So, if you are tuning in, you are not alone Jen. In fact, you are running with one of the foremost authorities on Revelation, on John’s use of Daniel in Revelation and on apocalyptic literature. Not bad.

What do most seem to agree on with great certainty? That we are seeing a simile here… the sea is like glass. It certainly conveys the glory and majesty of the presence of God and is related somehow to His sovereignty over creation (4:6 – 11). It also has something to say about His ability to see all and manage His creation.

Let me take a moment to say that this is just the sort of thing I wanted to open this discussion up for. A worthwhile topic was brought up, which was beyond the scope and time constraints of our study. It involves a number of opinions from various sources and Beale even refers to this line of thought as “speculation,” even though he cites some pretty compelling (if circumstantial) reasons. But, these kinds of topics can be rich, rewarding and build up the Body of Christ, if done with thoughtfulness and love. So, feel free to comment here.

Next, I think I’ll track down those references to the faces of the four beasts and their relation to the tribes of Israel traveling through the wilderness.

John Stott, commenting on Revelation 3:18 - 20:

But it is not merely for supper that Christ enters the human soul. It is also to exercise sovereignty. If he comes in to bestow his salvation, he comes in also to receive our submission. His entry is an occupation. He comes in to take control. No room may be locked against him. He has conquered us. He is the master of the house. His flag flies from our roof. This is what it means to be committed to Christ, and to be wholehearted in our allegiance to him. It is to surrender without conditions to his lordship. It is to seek his will in his word and promptly to obey it. It is not just attending religious services twice a Sunday or even every day, let alone on the major festivals. It is not just leading a decent life or believing certain articles of the creed. No, it is first to repent, turning decisively from everything we know to be wrong, and then to open the door to Jesus Christ, asking him to come in. It is getting our gold, our clothes, and our eye salve from him. It is being personally and unconditionally committed to him. It is putting him first and seeking his pleasure in every department of life, public and private. Nothing less will do.

What Christ Thinks Of The Church, pp. 121 & 122

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw — that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:1 & 2

When studying Revelation, it doesn’t take long before we find diverging opinions. I think Alan Johnson has some good advice for us here:

What do the imagery and visions mean? Another problem involves chronology: When do the things spoken of occur… what is symbolic and what is literal? Answers to such questions will determine the interpreter’s approach. Since few of these questions are capable of dogmatic answers, there is a need for tolerance of divergent aproaches in the hope that the Spirit may use open-minded discussion to bring us further into the meaning of the Apocalypse.

In chapter 1, verse 1, we are told that what follows must soon take place. How soon is soon and how does the answer to that question affect our approach to the rest of Revelation? This is how Robert Mounce deals with the question:

That more than 1900 years of church history have passed and the end is not yet poses a problem for some. One solution is to understand “shortly” in the sense of suddenly, or without delay once the appointed time arrives… The most satisfying solution is to take the word in a straightforward sense, remembering that in the prophetic outlook the end is always imminent. This perspective is common to the entire NT. Jesus taught that God would vindicate his elect without delay (LK 18:8), and Paul wrote to the Romans that God would soon crush Satan under their feet (Rom 16:2o).

I might add that the end is always imminent in apocalyptic, which is so prevalent in Revelation. Greg Beale, an amillennialist, takes soon or shortly in the literal sense as we would expect — that the events in Revelation would take place in the very near future. However, he has a unique take on what is taking place:

John’s substitution of en tachei implies his expectation that the final tribulation, the defeat of evil, and establishment of the kingdom, which Daniel expected to occur distantly “in the latter days,” would begin in his own generation, and indeed, that it had already begun to happen (for the idea of tribulation preceeding the divine kingdom see Daniel 7, which is a parallel prophecy to Daniel 2).

Yet, he goes on to point out:

Indeed what follows shows that the beginning of fulfillment and not final fulfillment is the focus [Daniel's prophecy of the latter days].

I suppose this is an example of the “already” - “not yet” approach to Revelation.

Welcome to the first installment of our online discussion of The Apocalypse or The Book of Revelation! Each Tuesday night at Nevada County Christian Fellowship, we are going verse by verse through the revelation of Jesus Christ, which He showed John the apostle in the first century. Our purpose in the Tuesday night study has a very practical aim: we are approaching this letter as written specifically to us — disciples of Jesus Christ engaged in the monumental struggle between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. Each week, we conclude by asking ourselves, “what will be my response, as a disciple of Jesus?” We want to worship Him, tell others about Him and live for Him.

“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:21 & 22

So, if you would like to participate, you are welcome. I’ve posted some etiquette for participation in the discussion in the left column. Our purpose in this blog is to dialogue on topics of interest that we don’t have time to cover in detail on Tuesday nights or those things that are beyond the scope or outside the purpose of our weekly study. For example, we touched briefly on the dating of the Book of Revelation, but this would be an appropriate venue to talk about that issue in greater detail. I hope this will prove fruitful.

I thought it would be good to begin by asking, “where are you coming from?” What is your purpose in studying Revelation along with us on Tuesday nights? Do you have a view of eschatology that guides you through Revelation or do you favor one interpretive method above another? Are you a futurist? A preterist? A partial preterist? Historicist? Idealist?

I’ll start. For the longest time, I was put off by the wrangling and hard feelings in the Body of Christ over eschatology and different views of The Apocalypse. Sure, I’d studied Revelation, Daniel, the letters to the Thessalonians, Matthew 24 and actually remember getting a lot out of A.T. Robertson’s treatment of Revelation in Word Pictures in the New Testament. I was really apprehensive about teaching it, because I didn’t feel I had the depth in the Old Testament it takes to do a good job and, frankly, I still need a lot of work there. But, lately I felt compelled to get into Revelation and it has been one of the most exhilarating and profitable undertakings in my entire Christian walk. As of this writing, I am premillennial in my view of Revelation. I think the millennium is a literal period of Christ’s reign on earth, but I am decidedly not dispensational. I suppose I would be labeled historic pre-mil.

At this point in time, I take a preterist position on the Olivet Discourse… I think most, possibly all of it, took place by about 70 AD. I also take the traditional view that the 70 weeks in Daniel have already been fulfilled. I think there will be a future tribulation, possibly the great tribulation, but I’m not sure how long it will last or if there are multiple great tribulations.

Interpretation? I take an ecclectic view - a position which seems to be gaining popularity nowadays. I see some things as fulfilled, some future, yet all things are ideal or profitable to Christians of every age, who take seriously their discipleship. How about you?

Jesus said “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

I have battled some kind of low-level depression or anxiety ever since I can remember. Perhaps it began with the concussion I received playing soccer in the eighth grade. Who knows? Thirty years later, after I recovered from that other soccer injury, I noticed a dramatic decrease in serious bouts of depression. I wondered if, somehow, my blood chemistry had been altered in a positive way.

Today, I had a sudden rush of anxiety, triggered by a very small setback… car trouble. But, it seems that I was carrying around quite a bit of worry and concern for a lot of friends and family… serious troubles or situations they are facing. I felt like, if I heard about one more heartbreak or distress…

Denise wasn’t home tonight and I needed to study a few points for my study in The Apocalypse or Revelation, so I got into the Bible and my “silent wise counselors,” my books and commentaries. What a wonderful tonic for the heart! I am amazed at how this study has affected my soul, giving me a greater sense of God’s majesty and His love for me. The letter to the Christians at Smyrna reminded me that suffering is “the norm” for the followers of Jesus in this world.

Jesus told the church in Smyrna, “I know your afflictions and your poverty — yet you are rich! Revelation 2:9

I needed to be reminded of that. Polycarp, a friend of John the apostle, would later serve as an elder at Smyrna, where he would be put to death for his faith. It was good to be reminded that my troubles are small and my cares are few, compared to those who have gone before. And, Jesus has been faithful to them and me. When faced with the prospect of death, Polycarp made a touching confession:

But when the magistrate pressed him hard and said, ‘Swear the oath, and I will release thee; revile the Christ,’ Polycarp said, ‘Fourscore and six years have I been His servant, and He hath done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who saved me?’ From The Martyrdom of Polycarp

At two score and ten years, I must also confess that my King has “…done me no wrong…” He has overcome the world, so I can be of good cheer.

Do I read? Sure, I do. Not much fiction, though. To purloin and retool a phrase from the pen of Don van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart), I generally read “opaque literary works, which would bug most people.” Case(s) in point: rarely in recent months have I experienced the joy and excitement of feasting on anything approaching Oscar Cullmann’s Early Christian Worship nor have I surfeited on any book which approaches the sumptuous banquet which is Abbas Amanat’s Resurrection and Renewal: The Making of the Babi Movement in Iran, 1844 – 1850! Oh, the memory of reading those masterpieces during the magical days of my youth makes me long for more, more, more!

I know, I know… Those titles alone have you perched upon the edge of your seat, clutching your mouse or other pointing device in anticipation. “Yes, yes, Bo, but what are you reading now? What rapurous prose are you feeding your soul this week?” And, more importantly you ask, “where can I get my hands on these ‘page turners’?” Well, I’ll tell you…

Let’s begin with light reading: the books on my nightstand, which carry me far away from the cares and troubles of the day. These are the books I read for pleasure before passing off into dreamland. First, there is one I read more often than any other, except my trusty Bible. It is an old pocket anthology of Robert Frost’s Poetry. I’ve read it from cover to cover, but I usually play “poetry roulette,” opening to a random verse. I think my favorite is Evening In A Sugar Orchard… Wait! No, my favorite is Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening.

Another book I pick up over and over again is Design of the 20th Century. I’m sure you’ll agree that there’s nothing more relaxing before bedtime than reading brief biographies of designers and viewing their signature works.

Also on the nightstand is The Elements of Graphic Design, a Christmas gift from anonymous middle daughter. It is probably the most readable and engaging book I’ve read on the subject – I’m nearly finished with it. In queue are Interaction of Color by Josef Albers (a gift from Sam) and Design and Form: The Basic Course at the Bauhaus and Later by Johannes Itten (given to me by Emma). I have browsed them.

Now, let’s get down to the serious tomes. I’m preparing to teach through The Revelation or Apocalypse, so I’ve got a book open almost every spare minute. I have nearly completed Robert Mounce’s commentary in the NICNT series. It’s a modest 400+ pages and not overly technical. I read Joel Green’s How To Read Prophecy years ago, but just dashed through it again to brush up, along with some chapters from Bernard Ramm’s Protestant Biblical Interpretation. I also reacquainted myself with Millard Erickson’s classic undergrad textbook Contemporary Options In Eschatology. The list of “must reads” for the study of Revelation include:

• Gregory K. Beale’s monumental Commentary on Revelation — the main course. This is a critical commentary and at 1245 pages, it’s a monster!
• Alan Johnson’s fairly brief commentary on Revelation From the Expositor’s Bible Commentary
• What Christ Thinks of the Church: An Exposition of Revelation 1 –3 by John Stott
• The Temple and the Church’s Mission by G.K. Beale. This is 450 pages of pretty technical stuff.
• The Meaning of the Millennium, which I read a long time ago and have to do again.
• The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses by Vern Poythress will be a job, weighing is at more than 400 pages of very rigorous reading and, then, I’ll chase it with his diminutive Understanding Dispensationalists.
• I will also need to read George Eldon Ladd’s commentary, as well as his groundbreaking The Presence of the Future.

Finally, I have read or will need to read parts of Walvoord’s The Millennial Kingdom, Pentecost’s Things to Come, A.T. Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament, Donald Guthrie’s New Testament Introduction, J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy and more!

It looks like it will be a Summer full of fun reading!

I began my first in-depth study of The Apocalypse this week and I think I have some insights and revelations of my own, concerning the identity of the Antichrist and the Beast of Revelation 13.

First, let me say that Dan (the guy to the left of Macaulay Culkin) is not the Beast, nor is his friend, Michael Jackson, the Antichrist. Of that, I’m relatively certain. However, I’m not so sure about this character, King Juan Carlos of Spain:

You see, he’s been fingered as the Man of Lawlessness by a number of “prophecy experts,” most notably Chuck Missler and Jon Courson. As a supplement to my serious study in Revelation, I began listening to tapes by these erudite Bible teachers (so-called) in order to gain insight into the strategic trends, which are preparing the world to bow to the control of this spellbinding, power hungry, dynamic, world dictator.

I found a tape of Jon Courson’s Prophecy Update for 1993 and he made a number of predictions about the things to come. Among them:

• King Juan Carlos of Spain, King of Jerusalem, is probably the Antichrist
• The generation, which began with the settlement of Israel in the land, will see the second coming of Jesus to establish His millennial kingdom in September 1999 at the Feast of Trumpets — then the millennium begins in 2000.
• Of course, you have to back up seven years for the Great Tribulation, so that means that the Rapture will occur sometime in 1993.
• The ten nations of the European Union represent the ten horns spoken of in Daniel and Revelation, even though there were 13 members in 1993 (he was able to pare that number down with some impressive mathematics). By the way, there are 26 nations in the EU now and more on the way.
• The year 2000 is the beginning of the millennium, but we don’t have to rely only on the Bible for that fact, because all the new agers and rabbis from 300 AD onward said it would happen.
• Rabbi Schneerson (April 18, 1902 - June 12, 1994) was quoted by Courson as saying that he would live to see the establishment of Messiah’s kingdom, the millennium, with his own eyes in his lifetime.

These are but a few of the nuggets of gold Mr. Courson mined out of the Scriptures for the crowd. Is it any wonder that we Christians are looked upon as a bunch of gullible half-wits, when we tell someone that Jesus died for their sins on the cross and rose from the dead, so they can live forever? That’s the problem with “crying wolf” and serving up this kind of sensationalistic slop to God’s people year after year — It may be entertaining, but Biblically illiterate Christians aren’t the only ones listening! These kinds of fairy tales get out to the general population (many times because we have passed around a tape or CD or book promoting this nonsense) and the honest inquirer is left to separate the facts of the gospel from the chaff of speculative theories and prognostications by these hucksters.

There is a way to stop these people and their creepy, cultic fascination with events that haven’t happened yet (not to mention their amnesia, when it comes to the hundreds or thousands of failed predictions they’ve made). Just say “no” to their speculation and sensationalism!

2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires…

But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. 2 Timothy 2:23

2 Timothy 1:13 Retain the standard of sound words, which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.