DAY 365

IT IS FINISHED!

Malachi and Revelation 22

Well it has arrived, the last day of reading the Bible in one year. In a moment I want to share some reflections, but here is a bit on Malachi from my ESV Bible Introduction.

MALACHI: Although the urging of Haggai and Zechariah had brought the completion of the temple (516 b.c.), this had not produced the messianic age many expected. The warm response to Zechariah's call to repentance had grown cold, because God apparently had not restored the covenant blessings. Malachi, writing a short time later, called the people to repentance with respect to: the priesthood, which had become corrupt; worship, which had become routine; divorce, which was widespread; social justice, which was being ignored; and tithing, which was neglected. "Will man rob God?" the Lord asked through Malachi (3.8), and he promised to "open the windows of heaven" (v.10) for those who pay their full tithe. Malachi predicted the coming of both John the Baptist and Jesus, referring to each as a "messenger" of God (3:1)

YESTERDAY I closed my comments on Revelation, a rather amazing drama.

If you have hung in here with me and worked your way through the Bible what are your thoughts about it? I have heard the Bible described in a variety of ways:

·         God’s love letter to his people

·         800,000 words that say there is forgiveness for the past, new life for today, and hope for tomorrow

There certainly are more summary statements. I do not think I can boil this last year down to a single statement. I am struck by how much the New Testament is connected to the story of the Jewish people. I have read the Bible through a number of times, but having to write about it was a very different experience. I found two recurring thoughts. First I kept saying to myself that I was writing too many words. Second I kept having to go back and look up Jewish history, especially when we were in the prophets.

The other thought I now have is that I want to do more. These books of the Bible are like onions—there are many layers to peel back and examine. BUT—and I think this is one of the things that I really am struck by—I am amazed at how God hangs in there with us. Think of all the history we read and how people kept walking away. Then the Son comes and we kill him. And yes I know it was part of God’s plan all along, but we did not know that until after we killed him and the Holy Spirit came. And then after the Resurrection we are still ignoring him…and yet God does not give up on us…in many ways, as difficult as you might have found reading the Bible, it is remarkable that God still has hope in us, in you, and in me—He really does love you.

Thanks for reading along with me. I would love to hear from you and you can send me an email at dcollum@thecathedralofallsaints.org – God bless you.

DAY 364

THE BRIDE

Zechariah 13 & 14 and Revelation 21

JERUSALEM THE BRIDE – here we come the final scene (21:9— 22:19) – Scene 8.

You might be thinking, “Scene 8? Wait a minute everything in this drama has been in 7’s and in fact the 7 Scenes have had 7 bowls, 7 visions, 7 seals, 7 letters…7 you name it.” Where did the eighth scene come from?

Consider two other Biblical scenes. It is Good Friday, the sixth day of the Jewish Week. On Holy Saturday Jesus will lay at rest in the tomb. You might recall all the concern about getting the body off the cross before the beginning of the Sabbath which is the seventh day. Jesus’ Resurrection is on the “eighth day” as it were. On this Resurrection Day all is new, the old has disappeared. The second Biblical scene is less a scene and more a narrative. Do you remember the Jubilee? The Law stated that on the seventh year they rested, and then on the seventh of the seven year sequences (the 49^th year), that on the 50^th year they would celebrate the Jubilee! (See blog day 50…get it…day 50).

Be not dismayed though, Scene 8 has seven parts to it: 1-the first revelation, the city of God (21:10-21), 2-the second revelation, God’s dwelling (21:22-27), 3-the third revelation, God’s world renewed (22:1-5), 4-the fourth, God’s word validated (22:6-10), 5-the fifth revelation, God’s work completed (22:11-15), 6-sixth revelation, God’s blessing (22:16-17), and 7-the seventh, God’s curse (22:18-19) with an Epilogue 22:20-21.

Rather than unpack each of these, I want to draw your attention to one aspect of the chapter. Certainly the chapter in glorious and it gives us a vision of the future; consider this quote from C.S. Lewis in his novel The Last Battle. In this scene Lewis describes what it will be like on this “eighth day.”

“The things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of the all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all live happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

But the one aspect I want to draw your attention to is…well it is you—the Church.

Come, I will show the bride, the wife of the Lamb. The poor, old tired Church. The Church, not the building, but the people—as a member of it do you ever feel like we cannot get out of own way? We seemingly cannot seem to get the message out? We have opportunities, but then we start internal squabbles, or we get ourselves in some sort of a knot. Yet with all our shortcomings…we are the bride of the Lamb. Pause and just savor that you will be with the Lamb…for that Lamb desires you to be with Him.

DAY 363

NOT “WHEN MILLENNIUM” – “WHAT MILLENNIUM”

Zechariah 9, 10, 11, & 12 and Revelation 20

THE MILLENNIUM—we read about in Revelation 20. The scene, Scene 7 actually spans from 19:11 and carries through to 21:8. The title of this scene is The Drama Behind History and that title gives some insight into how I see this chapter.

The text is fairly straightforward (relatively speaking). First in 19:11 Christ enters on a horse. The armies of the beast and the kings of the world gather against him. We see the defeat of these armies, the beast and false prophet. Then we come to chapter 20 where Satan is bound and thrown into captivity for “1,000 years.” This is a period when Christ reigns on earth, and then after that there is one more battle with Satan and he is ultimately defeated and thrown into the burning lake of sulfur. There is the final judgment. Finally there is this magnificent scene where a new heaven descends to a new earth and God makes his dwelling with humankind. As I said (a little tongue in cheek) fairly straightforward.

But there is a question: When does all this happen? Has it happened? Will it happen? Or is it happening? The answer to that question is a matter of opinion—really we do not as humans have a final answer. I could easily write about 2,000 words on the three different views of “when.” One view is called “pre-millennial” and from the title you can guess that the people who hold to this opinion view that it has not happened yet, and they wait for Christ’s return and then the “1,000 year” reign. Then there is the “post-millennial” and those who hold that opinion believe that the “1,000 year” reign will happen after Christ’s return (and so when does the 1,000 years begin). Then there are those with the “a-millennial” view. These folks see this as a drama unfolding behind and intertwined with the drama of our world. The title of this scene might give you some insight into my opinion…but guess what, I don’t want to talk about those views!

Now that I have used over 340 words to get to this point, what do I want to talk about? I want to talk about the “what” of this text. Not “when” does this happen, but rather “what does the text tell us happens”? The answer is that God wins! We have known this, but again picture yourself in a theater. A figure comes out on a giant white horse. You recognize him as Jesus. You see in the distance the enemy amassed, snarling at him. (I have in my mind one of the recent Lord of the Rings movies). The battle ensues and Christ is victorious.

You think it is over, but then something even more hideous than the beast appears…Satan appears. Notice we do not get a detailed description, just a statement about the dragon who is Satan. Satan is bound and thrown into an abyss. Somehow we have a sense that it is for a long time. But then Satan reappears one more time for one last conflict, and again God is supreme.

Then a remarkable thing happens…a new heaven descends upon a new earth and God makes his dwelling with humankind. As you come to the close of reading the Bible you have re-entered the Garden where the story all began.

As I said, I care less about “when” and more that this “what” actually is promised by God. You and I know there is trouble in this world. There is sickness and disease, violence and pain, injustice and anger…and more. We know that Christ has come and provided us hope and a path home, but the world is still struggling to get free of the death grip Satan has on it. Scene 7 shows us that someday this will take place. AMEN and ALLELUIA.

DAY 362

GOD IS NOT WORRIED ABOUT BEING POLITE

Zechariah 5, 6, 7, & 8 and Revelation 19

I was always taught to be polite. With that upbringing it is rather uncomfortable to write about Babylon the whore. Yet God is his drama of REVELATION is more concerned with you and me getting the message. Our good God, the creator and sustainer of all life, He who loves us and desires us to be with him, the One who is both just and merciful, the Comforter of the poor and lonely, the good King who rules perfectly—this God—has His plan for His world. And any who set themselves up against goodness, justice, compassion, hope…against love…any who set themselves up in the direction opposite of Him are not faithful, they are faithless, they are, whores.

Why this description? Because that word describes a person who lures and draws people into that which is the opposite of faithful. That word describes a person, male or female, who seeks to destroy the life of the one they are tempting. To appreciate the affect of this language we need to suspend for a moment the vision of the person, male or female, who is selling themselves because they find themselves on the bottom of the heap. In REVELATION this word is used to describe the ultimate force in the world that opposes God. This force, this person, is not offering some alternative philosophical system…they are offering death and eternal enslavement to…the whore.

Therefore this force, this creature, this evil, must be destroyed: SCENE 6: Babylon the whore.

I have been trying to keep us grounded in where we are in the drama. The “seventh bowl” has been emptied, the earth is no more, and now God turns his attention on dealing completely with this Babylon.

I will follow the outline I gave you yesterday as I comment on this scene.

THE FIRST WORD ABOUT BABYLON, 17:1-6—John is taken to the wilderness, here he can see this “grand lady” for what she really is. First he sees the extent of her influence. The phrase “seated upon many waters” implies that she has vast authority. We should be careful, for as humans we are drawn to beauty and power. And just as John is first drawn, we next need to see the evil. The power that supports her is a hideous beast. By now we have gotten used to the numbers. The horns and heads do not represent specific kings, but rather the complete “essence” of that which opposes God. From influence to evil we next come to the juxtaposition of that which is attractive (v.4) and that which is repulsive (v.6). The point about this “first word” is that we should not be fooled. There is power, evil power, which lures and attracts.

THE SECOND WORD, 17:7-18: We read that Babylon is a mystery. This is not to mean that we are reading a “mystery novel” trying to figure out all the puzzle pieces. Many have made this mistake with REVELATION, especially this part. No, the use of the word mystery has more to do with the angel “showing the picture of Babylon.” I have already commented on it. What we see is the “essence” of a godless world system opposing the Lamb—those cities and civilizations that seek to exalt themselves to the highest mountain—those who do not seek to honor God. Who is behind it all? The answer is Satan, and in this scene Satan, and all his demonic forces, are destroyed because the Lamb will conquer (v.14). Many commentaries go into trying to geographically and historically locate these kings, but I think that path limits our thinking with regards to the message of REVELATION.

THE THIRD WORD, 18:1-3: We read of Babylon’s fall. I want to take you back to the theater. Imagine the vision on stage. Does it frighten you? At this point, I am not asking do you understand it, but rather, does it frighten you? If it does not, then you have (at least I think) missed the point. The point is to understand and “respect” the very real power of evil. There is a version of Christianity out in our world that is about puppy dogs and butterflies…nothing could be further from reality. Evil is real. It seeks to destroy. It drinks the blood of the martyrs. AND it is attractive. The woman appears at first attractive, and it is only after seeing her in contrast with the desert, do we see the beast and the cup and more. Do not underestimate her power. That is why it must be defeated…and in this scene it is.

THE FOURTH WORD, 18:4-20: We read of the judgment of Babylon. In this section we see the power of seduction. The varieties of people who have based their lives on this harlot weep over her destruction—they are utterly committed to this evil.

THE FIFTH WORD, 18:21-24: The death of Babylon. I grew up by the ocean. It is always moving, and there is always the sound of the waves. When I moved to Upstate New York and would go to a pond in the woods and I would be struck by the stillness. Picture the scene. A great stone is thrown into the water which pulls Babylon down to the depths…and then there is utter silence…the water is calm as if all that we have been reading never existed. There is no gravestone that people will visit to remember her…for it is as if she never was.

THE SIXTH WORD, 19:1-5: A song of doom for Babylon. I am not quite sure where I am standing for this sixth word. Am I still by the still silent pond, or have I been transported back to the throne. Where I am physically located is not as important as to the point: from a distance place, from the throne, the song of victory is exclaimed.

THE SEVENTH WORD, 19:6-8: The successor to Babylon. What is remarkable to me is that we have endured two chapters of looking at Babylon, the whore—and now we are given two verses of the Bride. What is equally remarkable is that Babylon and the Beast are two separate entities: Babylon as almost the anti-god ideology and the Beast as the means by which this lives in the world, and yet the Bride is unity. The elaborate and grotesque description of the whore contrasts with the simple beauty of the bride. This “seventh” scene is like all of the prior “sevens” as it takes place after the end of our history.

THESE ARE TRUE WORDS OF GOD, 19:9-10: John must be exhausted, are you? You have been experiencing the drama of the conflict, and now you have seen the victory. John falls down at the angel’s feet and is quickly corrected. We cannot fault him, it is almost too much to take in. And yet, this is a scene of hope. Have you ever asked God, “When, when God will you deal with this________?” The answer is that God does deal with it—completely. Ours is not to know when, but to have faith that He does.

DAY 361

WHO or WHAT is BABYLON?

Zechariah 1, 2, 3, & 4 and Revelation 18

ZECHARIAH: As Haggai encouraged the returned Jewish exiles to rebuild the temple, Zechariah encouraged them to repent and renew their covenant with God. Such spiritual renewal would be necessary for the people to be ready to worship God once the temple was rebuilt (about 516 bc). He accused them of doing the very things their ancestors had done before the exile. He was concerned about social justice for widows, orphans, and foreigners. But as the people endured opposition from the non-Jewish inhabitants of Judea, Zechariah reassured them of God’s abiding comfort and care. God would continue his covenant with Israel. Messianic hope was rekindled during Zechariah’s ministry, and the book ends with the promise that the Lord would establish his rule over all the earth (14:9).

For today and tomorrow I want to focus on SCENE 6: Babylon the whore. This of course is a “lovely title” and it just reinforces that the Bible is not a watered-down book—no it is often very direct.

Let’s pause for a moment and ask, “Where are we in this REVELATION?” The answer is that the world, our world has ended. I am not sure I emphasized that enough yesterday…but it is done. With that news you might be full of questions such as “What about us?” or “What is next?” You actually know the answer to these questions. Those who are the Lambs are in heaven with the Lord. “What’s next?” Well that is an answer for the next few chapters. John’s REVELATION is about us, but also more, much more. What we read from 17:1—18—19:10 is what happens to Babylon…the whore.

Today I want to give you an outline of this scene, and then tomorrow we will dive in. Here is the outline, and yes it is an outline in Seven Stages:

1.      The first word about Babylon; the scene opens, 17:1-6

2.      The second word , the mystery of Babylon, 17:7-18

3.      The third word, the fall of Babylon, 18:1-3

4.      The fourth word, the judgment of Babylon, 18:4-20

5.      The fifth word, the death of Babylon, 18:21-24

6.      The sixth word, the doom song of Babylon, 19:1-5

7.      The seventh word, the successor to Babylon, 19:6-8

8.      These words are true, 19:9-10

Before we dig into each of these pieces, the question we might ask is just who or what is Babylon? We have come into contact twice with Babylon. The first mention was in 14:8, Scene 4, where we read about the cosmic conflict between an ideology of evil which is always seeking to exalt itself to a supreme position, and that of the gospel. Then in 16:19, Scene 5, we read of the pouring out of the bowls, and the final bowl was poured upon Babylon.

What is she? On the surface a grand lady of gaudy splendor, but underneath she is simply a harlot. In the coming scene we will read of Jerusalem the bride. The contrast is between one who is faithful, and one who is not. I write “simply a harlot” because the matter of unfaithfulness is not difficult to understand, but do you and I grasp the degree? One of the aspects of REVELATION is that it seeks to communicate the degree—the degree of unfaithful godlessness that sets itself up against Almighty God is one of the goals of such a drama. Babylon is any place/person/system of the world that sets itself up over and against God.

DAY 360

IT IS DONE

Haggai and Revelation 17

HAGGAI: when the first wave of Jewish exiles returned from Babylon to Jerusalem in 538 bc, they began to rebuild the temple but soon gave up. Inspired by the prophetic ministries of Haggai and Zechariah, they finally completed the task in 516. Haggai rebuked the people for living in “paneled houses” while the house of God remained in ruins (1:4). He warned that, despite their best efforts, their wealth would never suffice, because the Lord was not pleased with their neglect of his temple (see Lev. 26:2-20). He called them to repent and renew their covenant with the God of their fathers. He assured them that God would achieve his purposes for this people and for all nations. The rebuilding of the temple symbolized God’s restored presence among his people.

Today I want to comment on REVELATION 15:5—16:21 and the seven bowls of God’s wrath. I know today you are reading chapter 17, but I will take you back just a couple days. REVELATION 15:5—16:21 is Scene 5 of our drama—the title for this scene, Punishment for the World.

Two days ago I summarized where we had come to this point in REVELATION.

·         So far I have read of the Son of Man writing to “Seven Churches”—or to the essence of the One Church of every generation—we are not a perfect church and we have our foibles and challenges.

·         I have read of the “Seven Seals” the scene which shows the suffering which this every generation struggling (yet indestructible) church must endure knowing that the Seventh Seal—which is yet to opened—is the time when full victory will be won and rest will be achieved.

·         In parallel with the Church, the third scene blasts with “Seven Trumpets” warning the World. Again with the Seven as if these warning are the essence of what the world should worry about.

·         Lastly—at least up to this point—as I have been reading about the earthly struggle of the church and the world—I am given through John a glimpse of the cosmic conflict in the spiritual world as “Seven Visions” are shared of beasts, and angels, and the Lamb.

·         Seven Letters—Seven Seals—Seven Trumpets—Seven Visions: the point I think is that the REVELATION is showing us the essence of the full span of history.

In REVELATION 15:5—16:21, as the curtain rises we see the Sanctuary opened and seven angels coming out from it. My sense is that we would be filled with a sense of dread. These angels have similarities to the Son of Man in chapter one and they are carrying bowls “full of the wrath of God.” What do bowls that are full of God’s wrath look like? I cannot imagine, but my sense is one of terror and dread.

The Seven Trumpets were warning and their effect was only partial…the Seven Bowls are total destruction. Each Bowl is parallels the Trumpets. I find the fifth bowl remarkable. There is the throne of Satan, the bowl poured out upon it, and even in torment the men refuse to repent. The sixth bowl has an interesting twist. The fifth bowl is poured upon Satan’s throne…and he, Satan, knows it is over. Then when the sixth bowl is poured out, we see Satan stirring up the kings of the nations to fight against one another. All this leads is to the seventh bowl and we hear God say, “It is done.”

We might ask, "What is done?" The answer is the struggle of living in this world. It is graphic and it shows us the spiritual dimension to the conflict. Spiritually we know that this world is "not perfect" and we are "no perfect" because of Satan and sin. Satan and sin must be overthrown. Jesus has won the victory and we on earth are given the opportunity to respond to Jesus' love. Of course not everyone will and that is what the Seals and Trumpets and Visions are all about. It can be challenging to read, but the root spiritual reason for the sin, disease, and death in this world is Satan and sin...and until is he is fully defeated, the harassment will continue. And so the bowls are poured out and it is done.

DAY 359

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Zephaniah and Revelation 16

If you did your Bible reading today, well done. He is a brief summary of Zephaniah

ZEPHANIAH prophesied during the reforms of King Josiah (640-609 bc), who brought spiritual revival to Judah after the long and disastrous reign of Manasseh. Zephaniah pronounced God’s judgment on corruption and wickedness but also his plan to restore Judah. He spoke of the coming “day of the Lord” when sin would be punished, justice would prevail, and a “remnant” of the faithful would be saved. The term “day of the Lord” occurs throughout the Bible referring both to impending historical judgments from God and to his final judgment at the end of the time. Though Zephaniah does not give details about this day, he speaks of its fearsome consequences (1:18) and calls people to seek the Lord (2:3).

Today we read REVELATION 16 and the seven bowls of God’s wrath. As it is Christmas I will write about this tomorrow – Scene 5.