DAY 358

ON THE EVE OF BATTLE

Habakkuk and Revelation 15

HABAKKUK was probably written about 640-615 bc, just before the fall of Assyria and the rise of Babylon (Chaldea). God used Assyria to punish Israel (we have read this, that year is 722); now he would use Babylon to punish Assyria and Judah. This prophecy would be fulfilled several decades after Habakkuk, in 586. The “theme question” of Habakkuk is, “How can God use a wicked nation such as Babylon for his divine purpose?” God judges all nations, said Habakkuk, and even Babylon would eventually be judged (Babylon fell to Persia in 539). Though God’s ways are sometimes mysterious, “the righteous shall live by his faith” (2:4) while awaiting salvation. There words are quoted three times in the New Testament (Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11 and Heb. 10:38).

Now onto REVELATION 15; it is rather short and we have that number seven again which I have noted often suggest the “essence” of something. Before we look into these seven bowls I want to take us back to two points:

1.      First, I have suggested that we read this Revelation as if it is a dramatic play with eight scenes – and we are in Scene 4: The drama of history—seven visions of a cosmic conflict. And we have been looking at five of these cosmic visions thus far.

2.      Second, Scene Five: Punishment for the world is the actual pouring out of the Seven Bowls. So when we read in 15:1 John saying he saw seven angels and seven plagues, have we started Scene 5?

I know I may be being a little persnickety, but I think it pays off to pay attention to some of these things. The idea of Seven, and not Five Visions, is the idea that in total the visions communicate the full essence of the drama of history. I want to suggest the Vision 6 is simply Revelation 15:1 and Vision 7 is Revelation 15:2-4, and that the actual Next Scene starts at 15:5.

Vision 6 is a simple short and powerful vision: seven angels and seven plagues…and it is the end of the wrath of God. In other words John sees the battle coming to an end.

Then in 15:2-4 he sees yet another vision—he sees the victory. I am not quite sure why the Bowls are not presented first: Perhaps the Seven Bowls are so terrifying that God is his mercy let’s John see that in the end there is victory. But my point is that by viewing the Scene through these Seven, we then see the full essence of the situation to include God’s punishment of the unrighteous, and God’s victory. (I will talk about punishment tomorrow.)

I can imagine the curtain falling as the victory song is being sung to the yet unfinished battle. If we think about it for a moment was there ever any doubt that God would be victorious?

This then reminds me of where I am in this 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.

And yet, and yet, the victory has not been won and the Lord’s chosen have not yet been fully restored…these scenes await us as the Victory Song is being sung on this Eve of Battle and so we brace ourselves as the curtain is about to rise on Scene 5. I know you are reading this on Christmas Eve...but in some ways, in many ways, Jesus was born of Mary so that this victory would be won...on this Christmas Eve, he is on the Eve on Battle.