A State of War ...

The War did not begin here.  The War existed before us, but it will end with us.  Victory is assured, but it is not “our” victory, it will only ever be His.  Jesus Christ won this war before it was ever begun, because Love was destined to defeat Evil.  There was only ever one outcome that is possible in this war.  If evil “could” win, there would be no existence at all.  But while evil is defeated, it is not going down without a fight.  When our enemy has realized he will not win, he cannot win, his only recourse is to inflict as much pain, damage, and death as he can before he goes down in flames.  Surrender is not within his ability to choose; for evil enslaves its participants, making Satan as much a slave to himself, as we would be without Christ breaking our chains and freeing us to sin no more.  So while our enemy is desperate for his time grows short, his time is not over yet.  Mercy yet attempts to reclaim every soul that will at last accept the gift of freedom Jesus Christ alone can offer.  While mercy is extended, Satan continues his war of pain, damage, and death against the thing that impacts the heart of God the most … namely you and I.

We live within a state of War.  It is not a national war, but a war that extends beyond all borders, and lives within the hearts of man.  The War has active heroes and villains.  It has soldiers on both sides.  And like all wars, this War causes casualties.  Sadly, death is not the first aim of our enemy.  Pain and damage are.  Satan’s only goal is to cause us to miss out on the freedom from selfishness that Jesus offers.  He wishes us to live lives that are ever degenerating into deeper and deeper realms of selfishness.  When we succumb to the power of pleasing self, we inevitably inflict pain and damage on those we love and those who love us the most.  Because ultimately God loves each of us the most, it is He who suffers in anguish while we choose to yet again forsake His victories, and pursue our degradation to entirely new levels of depravity.  Because the Love of God will inevitably defeat the evil of Satan; Satan uses every tool in his arsenal to inflict pain back on God.  You and I are mere pawns in Satan’s plans, but precious treasure in the plans of the Lord.

Peter knew this.  He saw it in the living love of Jesus Christ and how He treated those He encountered.  Peter also saw how deep evil can go in the lives and actions of the Pharisees who ultimately killed the Author of their religion, in the name of their religion.  The cloak of scriptures, traditions, and religion was not enough to expel evil from the heart.  Men used the very things that should have led them to humility and submission, as tools to grow power and control over others.  Thus evil found a foothold in their hearts until they were willing to kill Love, before embracing Love.  These were the religious leaders who did these crimes, supposedly the best of the Jewish people and faith.  Yet even the best of men are no match for the seduction of self.  Peter had seen the casualties of this War, as its first casualty was Jesus Christ.  The suffering Satan desires to inflict pre-dated our Savior, and would not end, just because He had ascended back to heaven.  Instead Satan would resume his primary targeting against us.

So in chapter four of his first letter to the church, Peter begins in verse 12, by stating what he sees as the obvious in any state of War writing … “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:”  Notice first he begins by reminding his readers that “they” are the “be-loved” of Jesus Christ.  We are the most valued commodity in the kingdom of our Lord.  Jesus could care less about how much gold He has, and cares the most about insuring He gets to spend eternity with YOU.  Next, with the realization of how much we mean to Christ, comes the knowledge that it makes us the primary target for the fiery trials Satan will inevitably inflict upon us.  It is not a strange or unusual occurrence, it is a reality of War, and it will happen.  One might take comfort in witnessing it, because should all be going “well” it might lead us to wonder which side of the War we have landed on.

Peter continues in verse 13 … “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”  But here, Peter appears to go completely off the deep end.  Instead of just knowing evil may be coming with trial by fire, Peter actually states we should “rejoice” that this occurs.  No, Peter is not a Sadist, or Masochist.  It is not pain Peter enjoys; no shades of gray here at all.  But Christ suffered because of the love He showed to those in need.  It was for His love that He was constantly punished by the religious leadership.  The knowledge that someone experienced love, perhaps for the first time, is something to rejoice about.  That we should suffer for showing love, indicates our enemy thinks we did a good job at showing it.  It we were clumsy showing love, of selfish showing love, our enemy would encourage us to keep screwing up.  But when we reflect the love of Christ unselfishly to someone in need “THAT” is the event that warrants punishing us to the highest level possible.

Peter continues in verse 14 … “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.”  Peter echoes his earlier sentiment, love that reflects Christ well, comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  As we submit to Christ, as we allow Him to change HOW we love, and WHO we love (others, not ourselves), we allow a greater and greater measure of the Holy Spirit within us.  The actions and words of love we reflect emulate the source of love.  We become a reflection of Jesus.  It is this condition that causes our enemy to freak out, and hurl insult after insult our way.  He MUST malign our motives and actions in order to reduce the impact of the love we show.  Those who embrace evil will never speak well of Love, of Jesus, they will only ever insult and ridicule Him.  They have no choice.  For if they spoke the truth, they would convert themselves to His cause.  While we will receive no “glory” from those who hate the name of Christ, we will receive the only “glory” that counts from God, in that we have the honor to participate in His redemptive work for mankind.

Peter continues in verse 15 … “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.”  This passage has two meanings.  First, Peter wants to insure we are not being criticized for evil deeds we do.  It is only justice to suffer for the deeds of evil we may embrace.  If we “have it coming” so to speak, that is not quite the thing to rejoice about suffering for.  But Second, Peter is also calling attention to the condition of sin.  Deeds of murder, or theft, or generic malice, or even getting invested in the lives of others to suit our own motives … are all actions that cause us to “suffer”.  Peter is reminding us, the Christ breaks our chains to selfishness, and gives us the means not to have to suffer in the sins that may have once ruled our lives.  It is interesting to me, that while we consider sin on a sliding scale, Peter begins at our most heinous crime of murder, but continues the thought down to the level of “busybody”.  Sin causes pain and suffering, whether from large heinous crimes like murder, but also from seemingly innocent crimes of evil motive in the matters of other men.  To win this War, we must be saved to the uttermost by our hero, savior, and conqueror, Jesus Christ.

Peter continues in verse 16 … “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”  Continuing on his prior duality, if we suffer for our acts of love we should not be ashamed of what they call us, or what they do to us, but glorify God instead.  Notice Peter does not advocate we take credit for our reflections of Christ’s love, instead He requests we continue to point the glory back to where it belongs (never with us, always with Him).  Peter also points out once again; retribution, condemnation, and judgment are NOT supposed to be our response to persecution whether deserved or not.  Glory to God is to be our response. 

From a second point of view, should we as Christians “suffer” because we have fallen, lost His victory, and embraced our self-centered evil once again.  We should also forsake our shame, and embrace the glory of His forgiveness.  It is no light thing to need the very blood of Christ to wash our sins away.  But having bathed in that blood, we must accept the forgiveness He offers, and not let guilt destroy us and cause us to embrace evil again and again.  The power of the gospel is to free us from sin, not just give us the means to live in sin, continually asking for forgiveness.  The power of the gospel does not end at forgiveness, it begins there.  It ends when perfection through submission is achieved, and we no longer want to sin, or commit them anymore.  It ends, when victory in us is completed by Him.

Peter continues in verse 17 … “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? [verse 18] And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”  Here Peter points out that this War will not easily be won.  It sounds simple enough to surrender our will to God.  But so few of us are willing to give Him everything to work with.  We hold back our cherished pleasures.  We hold back our loved ones under the presumption we don’t think He would ever ask for those.  But in so doing we forget the example of our first parents.  Eve sinned, perhaps because she was deceived, perhaps because the sensation of vanity was new and little understood, perhaps because she was alone having strayed from Adam’s side.  But Adam knew exactly what had happened and what the cost would be.  Adam “could” have refused to eat the forbidden fruit, and instead “trusted” that God would find a way to save Eve for him.  To do this, he would have had to be willing to lose Eve.  He would have had to be willing to let the thing he loved the most be put into the hands of God.  To trust God with it.  Why do we think our spouse, or our children, or our parents, or our lovers are any different? 

So few of us are willing to have our feelings changed for those we love, should we need them to.  How many are in relationships they should not be in; relationships that harm both parties, based on bad initial decisions, reinforced by a series of bad subsequent decisions.  Or how many are in bad relationships that could be healed, but the only way to heal them, is to submit how we think and how we love to Christ.  For perhaps it is not our partner who needs to change, perhaps it is us who needs to look at things differently and see things from a perspective outside of ourselves.  But to rectify any of these conditions we must be willing to put the person we love the most into the care and trust of God.  We must be willing to lose them if that is what is needed, and trust that God can work a miracle.  In short, we must do, what Adam could not bring himself to do.  And like Adam a great deal of suffering might be avoided if we trust God with those we love the most; or a great deal of more suffering might be experienced because we “could not” bring ourselves to trust.

Peter points out these decisions to give it all to Christ, are not so easy, not so simple.  Our hearts may not want the right things.  “Who” we are may still reflect wanting what is not good for us.  Which makes being willing to let it go, something hard to take.  If we who understand the love of God, and have experienced what He frees us to do, have such a hard time making these decisions, can you imagine how hard it must be for someone with no experience or no reason to trust to make them.  This is the reason Peter stresses in this passage that judgment of those who “get it” is hard enough, imagine how few will embrace this path, if even we cannot provide them a living example of why it is the better choice.

Peter concludes his explanation of living in a state of War in verse 19 … “Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”  The War may rage on.  We may suffer pain because our enemy inflicts it upon us.  But no matter what we suffer, while we reflect the love of God to others, we must renew our strength in our surrender to Him.  We must continue to commit our souls to Him.  We must continue to allow Him to remake what we “want” into what He wants.  To be in harmony with God will allow us to continue in well-doing. 

It is our Creator, our faithful Creator Peter points our attention to.  The reason he chooses these words is that we NEED a Creator in order to “remake” us into His image.  We will not “evolve” into perfection.  We will be “remade” into perfection.  This is not a biological evolution of getting better over time based on practice, experience, or sheer power of will.  This is a “creative” experience where our Genesis in His kingdom begins with a sudden unexplainable transformation of our hearts from something that loves only self, to something that loves only others.  Only a Creator can do for us, what we need Him to do.  Evolution and modern ideologies, have no solution that works, there is no alternative.  There is only Christ.  There is only one way evil is defeated, it is by unselfish Love, the kind of Love only Christ can create in the human heart.

Peter asks us not to be casualties of War, but to reflect the love of the only One who can and will win it …

 

Intelligence, Reconnaissance, and Your Need to Know [part two] ...

Our study resumes trying to answer the question of “why” God would reveal such specific details to us about our future city home well ahead of the final battle to take that same city by the forces of darkness and evil.  Of course the outcome of that battle is not in doubt, but the reason behind the revelation must have meaning to us in the here and now, or otherwise why offer it.  There is method, and reason, and love behind every revelation of Jesus Christ, what follows is no different.  Our Lord’s character is to be revealed in the details He provides through His servant John.  It is up to us, to study it, find it, and bathe in the truth of His love.  So we resume in Chapter 21 of the book of Revelations.

John continues in verse 14 … “And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”  What struck me first about this text, was a prior misunderstanding I had in reading it.  I mistakenly thought this text referred to the foundations of the city of heaven, it does not.  It refers to the foundations of the wall itself.  You will recall John has just recorded that this wall is both great and high.  It is entirely possible, the foundations of this wall are above ground and visible even after the city reaches its placement upon the earth.  There is no mention made of the thickness of each layer of this foundation of the wall, or whether it is planted in the earth and how far, but given there are names applied to each foundation, it is more likely the construction of the wall is layered upon this stack of 12 layers of precious stones, where the names of each apostle is in plain view of those who take a walk around the city.

Here our Lord reveals that while things evolve based on our decisions and choices, He is able to reach both backwards into our history as well as forwards.  The names of the 12 tribes of Israel have been inscribed on the gates, now also the names of the 12 Apostles on the wall foundations.  The church, both in history, and going forward, is forever memorialized in the new city of heaven.  Keep in mind this city is not one that will ever perish or be altered in the future.  Perhaps John sees inscribed here in one of the layers of this foundation of the wall, of the mechanism by which access is gained into the city, and the city is protected, his own name by the mercy of God.  For Israel gave birth the hope of the world in the Messiah, and the Apostles then took the gospel of the Messiah the lengths of the world.  Had it not been for the faithful choices of both to follow God, you could not be reading the precious Bible presented to you.

But this passage poses an interesting question.  Could the name of Judas be inscribed in one of those layers?  The natural assumption is that Matthias who is later chosen to replace Judas would have his name there instead.  Or perhaps Paul would have his name there having been chosen directly by Christ on the road to persecute the faithful.  But why not Judas; because he betrayed our Lord?  Have we done anything worse?  Did Peter?  Peter denied Christ three times when He perhaps needed the support of His disciples the most.  Yet Peter is forgiven.  It is not the magnitude of our sins, but whether we will humble ourselves and yet seek forgiveness for them that matters.  The very soldier who pierced the side of Christ, and drove the nails into His hands, is not beyond the realm of the forgiveness of our Lord. 

Judas may have betrayed Him.  The Roman may have killed Him.  But you and I stand equally guilty of both crimes every time we choose to embrace the love of self, and sin against God.  We demand the cost of His sacrifice yet again for the actions we take.  And what is more, we know better.  We have the insight of history and scripture to record what had to be done to pay our cost.  Yet with this knowledge, we have the audacity to require it yet again.  If we are not beyond forgiveness and redemption, can we be so quick to assume Judas was not either?  Can we be so quick to assume his last prayer was not one of a penitent sinner for forgiveness because he could not live, knowing the magnitude of the sin he had committed?  Imagine what the name of Judas there on a foundation of the wall of heaven itself, says about the character of God, about His willingness to forgive, about the intensity of His love for even one like Judas, or you, or me.  Whether his name is there or not, will be determined by how he spent what time he had left before he ended his life, only he and God know that.

John continues in verse 15 … “And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. [verse 16] And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.”  So here we go again, why is John now revealing yet more precious intelligence and reconnaissance about the nature of heaven ahead of the final battle, why do you need to know?  In this passage we learn the city of heaven is in the shape of a square.  Or at least, the base of the city is in this shape.  This means the walls that surround the city are approximately 1500 miles long each.  A wall that long easily displays the need for multiple gates for access to and from the city.  3 gates along each side of the wall, if spread equidistant from each other, one might guess they are positioned 300 miles from each other and 300 miles from the corners of the wall.  

But even 300 miles is no short distance.  Try walking from Orlando to Miami sometime to get a feel for it.  In today’s age, or in the age of John, one might reasonably attempt to walk 15 miles a day with some effort.  It might also depend on the conditions of the pathway, whether hilly terrain, or difficult surfaces. The short story being, it would take significantly longer to get from one gate to another than a single 24 hour day at current walking speeds.  If a horse could ride 30 miles a day, that still leaves 10 of them.  In a car driving 60 miles per hour it would still take 5 hours to get there.  Even in a plane that takes an hour’s flight.  This is just to move from one gate to another.  To get from one corner of the wall to the next on foot given today’s rates is 100 days, or 50 days on horseback, 25 hours in a car, or 2.5 hours by plane.  This is NO small city. 

But then comes perhaps the most interesting detail of this passage, the city is as tall as it is long.  This means it extends 1500 miles up as well.  The length and width are hardly comprehensible at these measurements, but to be this tall as well is breathtaking.  It then brings up some interesting architectural ideas.  If the throne of God is at the city center, and is also the highest point in the city, then it stands to reason that all the surrounding structures would begin to descend in height, where the buildings closest to God’s throne would be the tallest, and those closest to the wall would be the lowest.  This would give the city the appearance of an ancient Egyptian pyramid from a distance.  This may have been a design Satan inspired the Egyptians to build to mock God by imitation here on earth bathed in a false religion that believes in the immortality of the soul.  A different architectural idea might have been that all structures within the city are equally tall, thus the city might have resembled a Borg cube from the Star Trek series where again resistance is futile (to the power of love that is). 

In either architectural construct, or ones we have yet to imagine, consider what the ramifications are for a building that is constructed that is only one mile tall (5280 feet).  Using the measure of 10 feet per story level of a building, this means just a single mile tall structure would be 528 floors.  Let’s assume we need 30 feet per story now to accommodate high ceilings and much taller people or inhabitants, that still means a single mile high building would be around 140 stories tall.  Imagine walking up the stair case on that one.  Good thing fire dangers are a thing of the past.  Good thing earthquake building codes are no longer a worry.  Good thing tornadoes, zoning, flooding, and shoddy construction is a thing of the past.  But even with speedy elevators going up 140 stories is no small feat.  Now imagine any given building instead of being 140 stories tall (using 30 feet per story and one mile in height) is now 100 miles tall.  At that point you have 14,000 stories tall.  Taking the 100 mile high building up by 15 to make it 1500 miles tall and you have 210,000 stories tall.  Anything above a 100 story “skyscraper” we can see in New York City, or Dubai, or Hong Kong begins to boggle our brains.  The idea of a mile high building begins to threaten the safety of our air travel.

But here is where physics gets interesting, what happens when the city extends 1500 miles into our atmosphere?  This is well beyond the normal air we breathe.  Our present atmosphere is composed of several layers beginning with the Troposphere which starts at sea level and extends up about 7 miles.  It is followed by the Stratosphere which heads up to about 31 miles, followed by the Mesosphere up to about 50 miles, followed by the Thermosphere up to about 440 miles, followed by the Exosphere up to about 6200 miles.  A 1500 mile structure of anything would be well into the Exosphere.  This begs the question, how do we travel at all?  How do we breathe?  What happens to gravity?  If the earth is made new, and substantially larger, would it not have a much deeper atmosphere?  But then if so, how heavy would that atmospheric pressure be on our bodies.  In addition, a significantly larger planet would bring with it a significantly larger gravitational pull, requiring significantly stronger muscles just to be able to walk around at all. 

But let’s get back to the core question, why give us this information?  Perhaps it is to challenge our human wisdom once again with the realities of our God, where nothing is impossible.  Perhaps it is to tell us that the city of heaven will be much larger than anything we can imagine with more than enough room to house every person ever born from Adam until now.  Perhaps it is to give us a hint that travel in heaven will not be as constricted by human limitations as it is today.  Perhaps it is to alter our ideas of a mansion from one of country estate to one of city penthouse.  Perhaps it is to inspire us to dream about what it might be like, and the infinite possibilities we will be exploring just to see all of it from one end to the other might take centuries.

Why do we need to know now?  After all, our minds can hardly comprehend what we are hearing anyway?  What does this show us about the character of Jesus Christ?  I believe it shows us that our very limited thinking, and very limited scale, even in the world of today, are nothing next to how our God thinks about things.  I cannot fathom a city of this size.  I could not possibly guess at the extent of its population ability.  But that our God created this city and modified it so that we could live with Him tells me that 1500 miles in height or length or width is not too far for His light or presence to reach.  For there is no dark corner in heaven.  There is no alley way or hidden space, where the light and presence of our God does not reach.  From end to end, and height to basement, nowhere in this city is absent the presence and light and love of our God.  His bride is meant for our Lord.  We are the treasure that is to be in this city.

John continues his descriptions in verse 17 … “And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.”  John now reveals the height of the wall to be 144 cubits or about 216 feet.  Compared to a city that is 1500 miles high, a 216 foot high wall is hardly significant.  But to reveal this information to the enemy ahead of the battle seems really like revealing the worst secret of your city’s defenses.  You just told them how high to build the ladders to scale the wall.  You just gave them an indication of how thick the walls might be in order that proper battering rams or explosive devices would need to be to take down the wall and grant access to the city inside.  Why give this data away?  Perhaps it is to remind us that war itself is to be a thing of the past.  God does not doubt His victory in the coming battle.  And this wall will be standing to prevent future entry and exit, only like a fence to remind us, that we are ever surrounded by the protection of our God.  A fence He is choosing to decorate in a most ornate manner.  This might be God’s idea of a traditional “white picket fence” so to speak.

John continues in verse 18 … “And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. [verse 19] And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; [verse 20] The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. [verse 21] And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.”  With a city that is 1500 miles high, and an equal distance square, John keeps his attention focused largely on the wall.  He reveals to us that each gate in the wall is a single pearl (must have been some oyster).  He reveals that the bricks of the wall are of the same stones that is reflected in the light of God, and in the appearance of God the Father, a Jasper stone (likely green in color).  Has God perhaps put a part of Himself into the construction of this wall? 

The foundations of this wall, presumably the ones where the names of the Apostles are written, are described in detail.  They represent a variety of colors and textures.  And lastly the streets of heaven are made of the concrete of purest gold, such that they are nearly translucent.  One thing that immediately comes to mind when considering the construction of this wall, and of the streets of the city, is the value of the treasures we value here on earth.  Pearls, sapphires, emeralds, and gold are not done away with in heaven.  But they do represent only building materials.  What we choose to wear around our necks, our fingers, our wrists, and our heads are nothing more than the concrete of heaven.  Pearls are of value because they are rare, as is any precious stone, but in heaven they are as plentiful as the wall itself.  If you define the value of your jewelry because it is ornate and rare and perhaps large, you have not seen the half of it yet.  God has much more jewels than you can possibly imagine.  He had so many, he used them as construction materials; perhaps that was ALL they were ever intended to be used for.

On earth we kill for gold, in heaven we walk on it.  This information, this intelligence, this reconnaissance about our future home was not shared with us to stoke our greed, but to kill it once and for all time.  We do not need jewelry to make us feel better about our appearance.  There is no reason to hoard gold, let alone paper money.  In effect it is the equivalent of wearing bits of gravel, wood, and dirt on our bodies.  For what we prize so highly and sacrifice so much for here in this world is nothing more than beautiful building materials in the only future that matters.  This revelation should give us pause to realize the contents of the city make it the bride of Christ, not the construction materials.  We are the prize.  We are the treasure.  We are the thing God was willing to give His only Son to die in our stead for.   He loved us, not gold, or pearls, or jewelry.  He had plenty of jewels, but treasured you so highly He was willing to die so you would not have to.  Our lives are what matters most to Christ.  He shows us the magnitude of His thinking, of His design skills, or His architectural planning, to show us that size will not be the limiting factor in our participation in heaven.  Heaven is big enough for ALL of us.  There is no limit to His invitations because He does not have enough room, He has more than enough.  The only limitation to entry to this city is because you refuse to do so.

When love of others is perfected in you, you do not value the rubies, diamonds, gold, and pearls, you value the person who wears them or cannot afford to.  The construction trinkets are of no value to the person whose heart has been transformed by Christ.  The goal is to see the person in this city, with you, with me, with Christ.  What we wear matters literally nothing at all.  No designer suit will compensate for a corrupted heart.  No finest gem will replace the loss of a loved one in the kingdom of heaven.  No amount of gold in this world, is worth even the least of these, in the next one.  To “sacrifice” our means in this world to promote the ministry of redemption is NOT a sacrifice at all, it is an investment that has a return more precious than any conceived of since the dawn of creation.  It is our priorities that must be altered by the Revelation of John to us.  It is our hearts that must be remade in order to be in harmony with the kingdom he reveals.  To treasure the rocks of this world over the people of this world, is to miss the point of the gospel entirely.  Rocks will be in no short supply, people are the only unique and truly rare and precious things that cannot be replaced.  The jewels He will place on your head, are merely a symbol of the treasure you are in His heart.

But the revelations of heaven and the messages were not over yet …

 

Seven Angels [part one] ...

In actuality there are 3 groups of 7 angels described throughout the book of Revelations of Jesus Christ relayed by the disciple John.  The first group of seven were angels given messages to the seven churches.  The second group is described here with messages for the last days.  And the third group will come later carrying the plagues of God’s judgments to be poured out upon the world.  It is possible these may be the same angels performing three different and unique missions.  It is possible they are each unique, each given a message to convey or work to perform.  What is clear, is that the work of the redemption of mankind, is not limited only to actions performed by God alone, or Christ alone.  Actions, messages, and missions that work for our redemption are “shared” with those who are willing and long to participate.  Those who would volunteer to be tools united in seeing our fallen race reconciled to God are honored by God with a work towards that goal.  In the courts of the Father Himself, are seen 24 elders, 4 beasts of unique composition, the Lamb of God or His only Son, and an innumerable host of angels who have been working and fighting for our redemption.  His angels have already fought two wars in heaven and one final war is still to come.

This idea of participation is not excluded from you and me either.  Jesus Himself gave us His great commission; reminding us we should love one another, and in small teams, carry His gospel of hope and redemption to a world who has never heard this truth.  Christ did not require us to be perfect “before” we could share in this work.  He has demonstrated His willingness to use “broken tools” in the process of our redemption.  He knows despite our imperfections and incomplete understanding of His word, if we will be willing to Love like He Loved, the gospel will find its way into the hearts and minds of those who need it, and will lead to their redemption.  It is not the strength of our doctrines, or the purity of our interpretation of scripture that transforms the hearts of men.  It is the love of Christ alone that performs this function.  When we demonstrate this love we become agents united in His mission.  We become tools working for the redemption of mankind.  When we pollute our love with our own ideas, and assume it is “us” who saves others instead of “Christ” who saves us all; we detriment the cause of Christ. 

Angels understand “who” is in charge.  Angels are aware the messages they convey originate with God, not within themselves.  The works they perform are the works they volunteer for and have been commissioned or directed to perform.  They are more perfect tools to use in our redemption than we are.  Too often we would be all too happy to take credit unto ourselves.  We assume “our” words are actually “ours”.  We believe “our” deeds were originated within us.  In this we forget, that His words should be flowing through us.  We forget His works come from Him, His motives, His love reflected through us, not beginning within us.  Our greatest danger, even within the work of the gospel, is to lose our dependence upon Christ alone, and begin to accept the idea that “we” too are an integral part of the process of salvation, our own, or that of others.

John has only recently set the stage for the work of this second group of seven angels who are to bring messages to us near the end of time.  Earlier he described the plans of the enemy, raising up three beasts, allied to see us deny our identity as followers of Jesus Christ alone, and instead submit and carry the mark of this third beast.  John went on to identify a special group of 144,000 first fruits, who instead of bearing the mark of the beast, they bear the name of the Father God in their foreheads.  They stand before God pure, and without guile.  They have been transformed by the power of Christ, and their willing submission to His transformational power and love.  While John describes the fury of our enemy in his intentions to make us question our identity, he also describes the hope that not all will succumb to the mark of the enemy and instead there will be those who see the perfection of Christ wrought within them, even while still in this world.  This work is all timed near the end, just prior to the return of Christ to this world, to take us home.  It is against this timing and the back drop of these events that the second group of angels takes up their messages.

John begins in verse 6 of chapter 14 of his Revelations of Jesus Christ, saying … “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,”  The first angel carries with him the message of the eternal gospel, he carries the good news.  The message is not intended for only a select group of people, but for literally everyone on planet earth.  Language is no barrier to love.  Nationality, community, and family all bow to the power of love.  It is the love of Christ that underlies the power of the gospel.  It is the revelation of His so great love, that comprises the eternal and everlasting gospel that is to be preached to all who dwell on the earth.  Notice as well, it is the mission of this angel to see that the gospel is spread.  He will work this work through any who are willing to share in His mission.  But the ultimate disposition of the gospel reaching the world is carried by this angel commissioned with this work.  As always, it is God who insures, everyone has a chance to hear and accept the freedom His gift is made of.

John continues in verse 7 … “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”  This angel proclaims to our world that we should “fear God”, or perhaps better understood, we should “respect God”.  “We” are NOT the top of the food chain.  “We” are not the supreme beings of the universe.  There is something greater than us.  It is God who made man, not the other way around.  In fact this angel identifies God by His most important attribute – He made heaven (and the universe in which it is found), earth (everything that lives), the sea (everything found in water as well as the water itself), and fountains of water (our most basic necessity).  The reason we are to give glory to God is because of His identification as our Creator, and more importantly our re-Creator.  You will remember from our earlier study of the gospel of John, wherein we learned that to “give glory” is to perform acts of love for others.  The request to love others forms the basis of His great commission to us, and is consistent in the message of the eternal gospel, this angel is relaying.  The hour of His judgment is come.  The time of the end has arrived.  Evil will not be allowed to live on in perpetuity.  An end to the time where evil will be allowed to exist is coming fast, this is the hour of His judgment, and the angel begins by announcing that time is now upon us.

The revelation of this first angel is very important in both content, and timing.  He carries the gospel to the entire world.  And he does it in the last days of this world’s history.  The methods for communicating on a global scale have arrived.  The penetration of Christianity around the world is no longer zero, it is rising.  Language barriers have been overcome.  The printed and electronic word is carried to parts of the globe that could not have ever been reached only ten years ago.  The angel carries his message of the eternal gospel to places we have not dreamed of going.  He uses those who are willing to share in his mission of love and redemption.  And he breaks down barriers that once stood in the way of his delivery.

John continues in verse 8 … “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”  The second angel carries a warning based on a lament.  The news of Babylon’s fall is not proclaimed as gloating, or in triumph, or celebration.  It is instead sad news.  What was once hoped to be a pinnacle of knowledge, of social order, of prosperity – has corrupted itself.  Original ideals have been trampled under the foot of self service, greed, and avarice.  Instead of being the golden head and jewel of the earth, Babylon has fallen.  And as she has fallen, she has taken all the nations down with her.  She in fact “made all nations drink” or participate in her fornication and angry deeds.  Heaven does NOT rejoice at the rejection of love and freedom from self, when it is chosen.  Instead Heaven grieves at the rejection of love.  This lament is repeated with tears and great sadness … “Babylon is fallen, is fallen”.  This is a sad announcement and proclamation.  It is a declaration to the world, that what was once a great hope, has become corrupted, and has led the world into sharing in this corruption.

So the question is posed, who is Babylon?  Traditionally the Catholic church of the dark ages was held to be this symbol, because of the corruption of the gospel that occurred in those dark years.  The word was withheld from the people.  Salvation was for sale through indulgences.  Works of art were made to be worshipped.  The special day of worship with God established at creation was altered by the power of the church.  And worst of all, dissent was not tolerated, punishable by death utilizing the power of the state to achieve these goals throughout the world.  What might have been the great hope of Christianity was corrupted by greed and avarice, and became a blight on the history of the delivery of our gospel.  Forever stained would be gospel of Christ, as it was advanced at the point of a sword, rather than with an unconditional love that could see evil end.  Indeed to understand the sadness that must have occurred as the church bearing the name of our Lord declined during these ages must have been a cause of great lament throughout the heavenly courts.  But to adopt this interpretation at the exclusion of others may perhaps be too limiting.

Consider for a moment, the timing of these angel’s messages.  They occur AFTER the third beast has been identified and come into prominence.  In fact the next angel will discuss the issue-of-the-day with the mark of the third beast in just the next few verses.  The proclamation of the downfall of Babylon is a current event.  It does not indicate that it reaches back into history to find its fulfillment, but rather in the modern times in which this angel makes his proclamation.  He is the second angel.  He follows the worldwide proclamation of the gospel.  Christianity was NOT worldwide during the dark ages, it was largely centralized in Europe and north Africa.  China, the America’s, Russia, were areas largely untouched by the gospel during the dark ages.  However, in our age, the gospel has a very real ability to be heard worldwide.  While China is not too fond of Christian missions, it has not forbid them altogether.  Doors are opening that were once shut to the gospel.  So if this message of the fall of Babylon is occurring AFTER the worldwide proclamation of the gospel, and just prior to the mark of the third beast.  That would make its proclamation timed to … NOW!!

Another aspect of the message of the lament of Babylon’s fall is its identification as “that great city”.  In the time of John, there were very few nations, and nearly all revolved around the prominence of a City State.  Babylon in fact was a city, whose armies under Nebuchadnezzar had swept over the then known world.  To interpret the fall of Babylon as pertaining only to a church, whether historical, or current seems a bit limiting given the natural association of Babylon as a “great city” rather than as a woman who might better represent a church.  Babylon of old influenced a great degree of the lives of those around the world, particularly around the world that contained the history of those who followed the true God.  If these messages are to find relevance in the time of the end, then it would be more likely to have Babylon represent a nation whose influence is great upon the world, particularly on nations where there are a great number of those who follow the true God today.

So if not looking backwards to find the fulfilment of Babylon, or at a minimum, not only looking backwards – where do we find its only fulfillment in our age?  I submit only one power is global in nature and scope; and would fit the image of hope that has been lost.  The United States of America alone fits this description.  We were founded on the ideas of religious freedom and tolerance.  We were the location in the earth that opened to help the woman fleeing into the wilderness.  We had grand ideals of democracy rather than autocracy.  We evolved, some would argue too slowly, to finally realize the ideas that ALL men were truly created equal by our Creator, regardless of the color of their skin, or national origins.  We brought prosperity to the whole world.  We brought Christianity to the whole world, taking the seeds of Protestantism sown in Europe and spreading it worldwide.  We stopped the spread of fascism.  We won the cold war.  We give when others are in need.  We were once the golden jewel of social order, of knowledge, or prosperity for all of our citizens.  Our middle class was once the envy of the world.

But Babylon is fallen, is fallen.  What was once great, has become corrupted by avarice and greed, and the nature of man to serve only himself.  Now, our richest one percent dictate the fates of the remainder of the entire world.  They have no inclination to share anymore, but only to become even more rich.  We pollute now with impunity.  We deny the reality of global climate change because we profit from the status quo.  We cause the rest of the world to acquiesce to our financial requests and systems, or risk losing the wealth we are responsible for creating.  We back up our “requests” with the might of our military.  And we have begun to embark on the course of compelling the conscience of others.  Whether from the far left, or far right, the compulsion to think like I think, or believe like I believe is ever more entering the landscape of our media, and our reality.  We have all but destroyed privacy and the expectation to have freedom from publicity.  Everything that is said, whether intended to be private or not, is available for public consumption.  And the problems associated with our downfall as Babylon are NOT limited only to issues of our government or corporate structures.  They have infected the church as well.

Christianity in our age, in our nation – conjures up its first images as “hate speech” or judgmental-ism.  We are not known for our love first, but too often for our love as our last identifying characteristic.  Too many pastors who minister through television are concerned first about the “financial support” of their ministry, ahead of the needs of their parishioners.  Too many members give tithes and offerings only when it is expedient, or too often not at all.  Our hearts are not touched with feelings of empathy for those in desperate need who crowd our streets and overfill the mental hospitals who can care for them no longer.  We believe the poor have earned their condition.  If they were more motivated to work, they would not be poor.  So we harden our hearts, close our doors, and deny love to those who would need it most.  The thought of visiting the sick, or those in prison, never so much as enters our minds.  We are too busy.  We are too busy working to support ourselves, pay our bills, and minister in our local churches where it is safe and comfortable to worship.  Our ministry wanes.  Our personal testimony becomes corporate testimony, it has lost its uniqueness.  We espouse the ideas of salvation, not the personal impact of salvation upon us.  In short, Babylon is fallen, is fallen.  Our nation and our church are not what they once were.  Both our government and our corporate religious institutions are not what they once were.  And so the lament rings through the courts of heaven.  Babylon is fallen, is fallen.

So what is revealed about Jesus Christ through the messages of the first and second angels?  First, that the good news of the gospel is to be preached to ALL the world, for the time for this world is nearing its end.  Second, that while it may yet be great, and may have been founded in ideals and hopes with highest expectations – Babylon has fallen.  Whether applied to the largest Christian church of the dark ages, or to our nation as it sits today, starting out great does not guarantee that the finish remains that way.  Self-interests can corrupt even the finest institutions, whether corporate or individual.  Our government, the pillars of our economy, the backbone of our corporate churches, and the man in the mirror are ALL subject to the corrupting effects of self-service.  Only Jesus Christ can free us from this condition of slavery we have embraced.  The lament of heaven is real.  The condition it declares is designed to lift our self-deception.  We have fallen.  But there remains hope.

And the third angel’s message is about to be delivered …

Three Beasts [part one] - The Woman and the Dragon ...

John, the beloved apostle of Christ, was given revelations of Jesus in a prophetic forum, steeped in symbolism, but with a singular purpose … to see us redeemed, remade, and reconciled to God.  Throughout the book of his revelations, we have seen our redemption in every message, every warning, and every interpretation.  To find our salvation, is to find ourselves relying upon Jesus Christ.  It is He alone who is able to save us from ourselves.  It is He alone who offers us the gift of perfection, the gift that would transform who we are, into the creations He intends us to be, creations who love others and not themselves.  These messages show the supremacy of Christ, and point out our NEED of a savior outside of ourselves, to save us from the chains of self-service that we have embraced.  We are unable to free ourselves, we NEED someone to free us.  We are the enemy that needs to be remade from scratch, reborn into a new way of thinking, a new way of loving that leads us into harmony with His laws and His goals.

It is our dependence, our submission, our humility in how we perceive ourselves that can lead us to look to Christ to find our salvation.  While we think of ourselves as independent, without need, self-sufficient, that we avoid Christ and look for salvation in the mirror.  John begins his next revelation with the imagery of a woman.  Before we consider the details of this next revelation, consider why God might have revealed to us the imagery of a woman.  In John’s day, women were NOT self-sufficient.  Women depended on men, whether fathers, or husbands, or sons to own property, to be fed, to be protected and provided for.  A woman in John’s day was NOT a warrior, a leader, a general, someone who would wage war and defeat enemies.  A woman’s only weapon, and perhaps her greatest, was found in her ability to love, to support, to care for, to nurture her family, and those who she loved.  It is this characteristic that made her indispensable.  It did not matter that she was not the “breadwinner”.  It did not matter that she would be ill equipped or trained to defend her estate from marauders or fierce some creatures.  She was the prize, the pearls of greatest value that must at all costs be protected, defended, and provided for.  Her love was the gift that was so important, it was valued more than a man’s own life, for without it, life was of little consequence.

In this context, John begins in chapter 12 of revelations in verse one saying … “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:”  A woman is revealed here, she has imagery of the sun, the moon, and 12 stars.  These images were revealed long ago, in a prophetic dream that Joseph had.  His parents were the sun and moon, the 12 stars were he and his brothers.  This dream is given only 3 generations into the lineage of Abraham, just after God has established his covenant promise with Jacob, now Israel, to have the special relationship with them of being their God, and they to be His people.  The children of Israel would now represent His people, His followers, and in our modern vernacular, His church.  This woman may well represent a dependent creature whose value is found in her choice to love.  She is a follower, who is dependent on a higher power to be preserved.  She does not lead, she follows.  Her love and choice to love, is her greatest possession and gift she offers freely.  The children of Israel had a special relationship with God because they chose it to be so.  They were His chosen because they chose to follow Him, our only God.  The first group of followers, His first church, was composed as it is today, by those who choose to follow Him.

John continues in verse 2 … “And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.”  The woman seen by John is pregnant and in labor.  The Messiah was to be born of this woman.  The long awaited Desire of Ages was to come through this church, this group of followers who trace their choice to follow through the generations all the way back to Israel, and to Abraham.  But there were others in this lineage of the chosen who did not share Abraham’s bloodline.  Ruth was a Moabitess and grandmother of David.  The prostitute in the wall of Jericho who was spared with her family for helping the spies of Joshua escape unharmed joined in this lineage as well.   Even Uriah the Hittite’s wife Bathsheba was forgiven of her part in adultery and the murder of her innocent husband and became the mother of Solomon.  Whether from Egypt (Joseph’s wife and lineage), or Moab through Ruth, or Canaan through the woman in the wall of Jericho, or a Hittite like Uriah, many others were part of the Woman revealed to John who now stood ready to give birth.  Not all were of the bloodline of Christ, but all of them made the same choice to follow the one True God.  And all looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, the Son of Man, to see the restoration of the world occur.  The church of God has always been open to any who would choose it.

John continues in verse 3 … “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.”  The second set of imagery begins with a dragon.  A dragon has long been considered the top of the food chain in the animal kingdom.  Even man takes his risk when confronting the mythical dragon; unarmed, man is no contest for him.  A dragon is not a subservient creature.  He does not bow to anyone.  He is filled with pride, and one could consider it is rightfully so.  What other creature has skin of armor, teeth like spears, an ability to fly, and breathes consuming fire upon anything in its path?  A dragon kills and conquers by nature.  Its enemies only find rest while it sleeps.  And in this case, sleep is not on the agenda.  This dragon has seven heads with seven crowns, as well as ten horns.  The imagery could be applied to kingdoms united in one purpose.  Given the evil imagery, the purpose would likely not be a good one, but an evil one, to follow the nature of the dragon.

John continues in verse 4 … “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”  In case it was not clear already, the casting of one third of the stars of heaven down to earth had only one historical interpretation.  It identifies this creature as Lucifer, now Satan.  Satan’s war with God did not end with his first negative encounter with the power of God.  He now waited to kill the Messiah and insure that the mission of our redemption never sees the light of day.  He waits to kill the baby before it can become a man.  So king Herod gives orders to slay every child under the age of two in Bethlehem in order to see the Messiah die at birth.  Many die, but not the Christ.  At every turn in His earthly ministry the work of the dragon is to see Him fail at our redemption.  The nature of every temptation has a similar theme … “it does not have to be this hard, there is an easier way to see man redeemed”.  All He need do is use His power selfishly, or simply make a gesture of humility to Satan’s ownership of the world.  Or perhaps He might just not let Himself be killed, wounded might be enough.  No reason to go all the way to death by choice, instead find an easier alternative.  Satan’s temptations always look like the easier way.  Since Satan missed killing Him at birth, he must find another way to defeat the Christ.

John continues in verse 5 … “And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.”  The man child who was to rule all nations with rod of iron was the Messiah, the Christ.  His destiny was to be our only true King.  Only recently was John shown the vision of the seventh trumpet sounding where the declaration of Christ taking up the power He has to rule all nations is time to begin.  The Messiah came.  He was not killed at birth.  He performed the mission of our redemption.  He lived a life of pure unselfish love to serve others and never Himself.  He showed us the model of the character of God, and the government of heaven.  And He lived this way unto death, even the torture and death of the cross.  Love knows no limitations.  Love will go all the way to the grave to see us redeemed.  Love will pay any price for us.  And Love did pay our price.  The price paid, the Messiah ascends to the Throne of God, to His Father’s side.  Our judgment never in question, our verdict was always guilty, but now our punishment has been taken upon Himself, and we will not have to endure it.  He already has.  The dragon is frustrated again, his attempts at killing Christ or thwarting His mission has failed.

John continues in verse 6 … “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”  1260 days, 42 months, 3.5 years, a time – times – and a half, the same prophetic time period used already in this book is again enumerated specifically.  These time periods all add up to 1260 days using the Jewish Calendar, and using the day for a year principle equal 1260 years.  There is not a series of different time periods of this duration, so it is reasonable to assume the time period in question is the same one referenced in different ways throughout this book.  In this context, the woman is forced to flee into the wilderness.  A woman does not flee for no reason.  The dragon remains none too happy with her and it is for this reason she is forced to flee.  But she is NOT left unattended.  She is led to a place in the wilderness where she will be preserved by God throughout the length of the dark ages.  While the horseman of death rides, while the fourth seal is opened, while queen Jezebel attempts at restraining the word of God from the people, while the official Church is nearly dead, while the woes of the conflict between Islam and Catholicism bring blood to the world in the name of God – the woman or church or true followers of God are preserved.  Small groups like the Waldensians who preserve the word of God for the coming of the printing press remain hidden and preserved.  And the seeds of the reformation are sown.

John continues in verse 7 … “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, [verse 8] And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.”  There is no interruption present in the thinking of John, or in the sequence of events he is revealing to us.  The woman is forced into the wilderness.  And THEN, there was a war in heaven.  There is no indication here that this is flashback in time to before our world began.  There is nothing to indicate this is a momentary pause in the story.  In point of fact, Michael and his angels are said to be fighting “the dragon” and his angels.  Lucifer is in dragon form and likeness.  He has only recently sought to kill the man child as soon as it was born.  He failed.  The woman flees.  And NOW there is seen a war in heaven. 

Our great disappointment was in misperceiving the earth to be the sanctuary that would be cleansed at the end of this period of time.  But perhaps what was truly cleansed was never our world, but the actual true sanctuary in heaven.  It was cleansed from the presence and war of the dragon and his angels against Michael and his angels.  This scripture says that “neither was their place found any more in heaven” from the end of this war forward.  That may well represent a single final cleansing of the Sanctuary the scriptures foretold.  Further evidence this was not a flashback is related in the story of Job, when a meeting (presumably in heaven) occurs where God asks … “Have you considered my servant Job”?  If this war refers to the original war in heaven, why would Lucifer be permitted to be there to hear the question from God regarding the character and life of Job?  But if this war occurs at the end of the 1260 years, it might make more sense that this final assault on heaven itself results in there being no more a place for the dragon or his angels in heaven ever again.  Perhaps the simplicity of one final desperate attempt by the dragon to take over God’s city and temple that is thwarted by Michael and His angels, does in fact represent the cleansing of the Sanctuary foretold in scripture.

John continues in verse 9 … “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”  Again John reiterates, that Satan lost.  He was not just defeated, but he was cast out.  His entire army was cast out.  Their destination was the only home left to them where sin was still present in the universe, our world, our earth.  But the even greater message is told in verse 10 as John continues … “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”  The accuser of our brethren is cast down.  This is the result of the war.  Up until now, he has accused us in front of God as this scripture relays both “day and night”.  Satan has relentlessly accused us before God up until now, until this war is fought and lost.  But now, he has been cast out.  Again, if this war were prior to our creation, there would have been no opportunity to accuse us both day and night before God.  But in this sequence of events, the dragon attempts an insurrection and is cast out of heaven.  No more will he be able to accuse us.

The best news in all of this book so far (and that bar is constantly being raised) is the initial part of this declaration … “Now is come salvation”.  Salvation and strength, and His kingdom are come.  The power of His Christ is come.  It is happening now.  Our judgment, our trial, our court case, our prosecutor have all been put away.  It is over, and what follows, is our Salvation.  We are to be saved through His strength.  We are to be members of His kingdom.  By His power it is so.  And there will be rest in heaven from the relentless accusations of Satan against the people of God.  He has been defeated and cast out.  All that remains now is our Salvation, by the power of His love.  Judgment is done.

John continues to describe how this has occurred in verse 11 … “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”  We overcame NOT of our own strength, or actions, or will, or even motives.  We overcame by the blood of the Lamb.  It is Jesus Christ who transforms us and gives us a testimony of real change, of real life, and of real love for others and not ourselves.  It is Jesus Christ and the blood of the Lamb that has seen us become new creations.  It is the transformation of Jesus Christ in our lives, that leads us to hate who we were and look forward only to what we are to become.  We want our old lives to die, and our new ones to begin.  In a spiritual sense, we wish to take up our cross, and follow Him.  We wish our carnal nature to be put to death, and our loving nature to be created and reborn in us.  This transformation is so complete in the life of one saved by Jesus Christ, that they are even willing to die physically to preserve it.  The testimony of those saved by Jesus Christ, whether Martyrs of the dark ages, or converts of the present age rings true and the same for all time – Jesus Saves.  Our new lives are the only ones worth living.  The brevity of time we spend in this sin sick world is of little consequence, its only value is to share in the mission of pointing others to the same source of saving, redeeming, transforming love, that of Jesus Christ alone.  The Blood of the Lamb truly does save us from ourselves and our slavery to serve self.  And the declaration John hears begins with the beautiful word … “Now”!!

John continues in verse 12 … “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”  The devil being cast out of heaven now takes on an urgency he would not have felt 6000 years earlier.  He knows our judgment is at an end.  He knows our Salvation has arrived.  He sees the power of Christ alive in those who choose to follow Him, in the woman who represents His church.  Satan has been defeated in heaven and cast out.  His time is nearly done. And his anger has reached a pinnacle.  The “woe” we are warned about, is not to underestimate his hatred of God, and any who would be redeemed of God, and transformed by God.  The only recourse Satan has to inflict pain upon God is through the torture of those who God loves, namely us.  So in cruelest irony, Satan inspires man to kill man in the name of our loving God.  He inspires fundamentalism and extremism in the same easy prey, and teaches them to kill those infidels who do not share their conviction and beliefs.  Satan replaces love with hate in the heart of even those who call themselves Christians.  Under the guise of “purity”, Satan would purge the church of Christ with the sword.  Instead of healing those wounded by sin, Satan would inspire Christians to kill the wounded, cast them out, and show them only hate instead of unconditional love.  Love would draw them to transformation, but hate will keep them away from it.  So Satan unleashes his woes, not so much on the world of unbelievers, but on those who are in the process of choosing to be saved from themselves.

John continues in verse 13 … “And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. [verse 14] And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”  Satan the dragon continues to pursue the true followers of Christ.  He has not accepted defeat, but instead only escalated his attacks.  But the woman is preserved for a time (one year, or 360 days), times (two years or 720 days) and a half a time (or 6months equal to 180 days) … adding up to 1260 days.  Those who remained faithful to Christ, who comprised the woman Church who alone was led and preserved and protected by Christ, were at war with the dragon.  He would have won without the preservation of God.  This is point we modern Christians hate to acknowledge.  In a contest of man against Satan, man loses.  We do NOT win.  We lose, every single time.  It is for this truth, that we need not fight.  It is for this truth, that our Christ never loses.  When we let God fight the dragon, the dragon loses every single time.  We are saved from ourselves by Christ, not the man in the mirror.

John continues in verse 15 … “And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. [verse 16] And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.”  The best way to thwart the truth of Christ is to dilute it with other ideas.  So the dragon sends a flood of people, ideas, and doctrines to carry away the woman from the source of the pure truth of Jesus Christ.  We do not have one church now.  We have “n” number of denominations all claiming to be the One church of Jesus Christ.  If he could not constrain Christianity with the iron fist of Catholicism united with the power of the state, then he would dilute Christianity with an innumerable number of doctrines subtly yet distinctly different from one another, so as to lead one group of believers to despise another for their lack of clarity on a given point of scripture.  The evidence that we are truly His followers, in that we “love one another” fades against our desire to preserve our pure doctrines against the false teachings of our contemporaries.

The earth opens her mouth and swallows up the flood, in that the people could not completely overwhelm the truth.  Europe expanded its population and ideas to the Americas.  Those seeking religious freedom found a new place to travel to where it would be harder to be oppressed.  But the diluting effects of the flood remain in place for us today.  In every faith, in every denomination who claims to follow Christianity, the same struggle remains.  Do we look to find salvation by the works of our hands, or do we trust our invisible God to fulfill His promise to change us from the inside out should we let Him?  Do we look to find truth in the person of Jesus Christ, or like our Pharisee forefathers, do we trust our own interpretations of the Word to be the only ones of merit?  Do we show unconditional love to others, or do we abhor their presence in our midst for the knowledge of what sins they still cling to?  The flood has not abated.  The dragon has not resigned.  The dilution of the pure truth of Jesus Christ can find its solace in well-meaning studies of the word.  Those who use scripture as a weapon of condemnation will find themselves wholly on the side of the dragon.  Those who love others to the throne of grace, by the transforming power of Jesus Christ alive in their lives, share the mission of the Lamb in the redemption of the world.  Only when led by Christ, by love, by the goal of redemption, can scripture ever be rightly understood.  Christ is more important than our interpretations of the word.  Love is more important.  For God is Love.

John continues in verse 17 … “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”  Note that the dragon remains angry with the church who follow God.  His flood has not fully succeeded.  Despite his best efforts, there are those who remain loyal to the idea that Jesus Christ can truly save us from ourselves. There remain those who recognize the goal of our salvation is to be remade in harmony with the law of God, not to disregard it.  To keep the commandments of God in spirit and in truth, we must be transformed by the power of Jesus Christ to be made in harmony with the law.  This is something we simply cannot do for ourselves.  The vanity of our attempts at keeping the law absent our transformation is a tool the dragon uses to discourage and dishearten us as he points out our failures again and again.  Those who attempt to keep the law without Christ know they fail repeatedly.  It is our condition.  It is our nature.  It is what we must be reborn to see change.

But those who have been transformed by the power and love of Jesus Christ, those who have allowed Him to remake them, to kill their carnal nature and give rebirth to a spiritual one – these have a testimony that WILL NOT remain silent.  These keep the law because they cannot imagine life any other way.  These understand the law to be a basis of learning how to love others and to love God from which the love of others originates.  These do more than give lip service to a list of do’s and don’ts scribbled in the book of Exodus, instead they embrace the law of love for others in how they live, how they speak, and what they do.  They appear like magnets, drawing others to the foot of the cross, because the love within them is irresistible.  It is these remnant, these few, these transformed souls in EVERY church, in EVERY walk of life, in EVERY nation, kindred, tongue and people who the dragon seeks to find and destroy.  If allowed to live unmolested, just these remnant few would change the entire world in a very short order.

The power of a life transformed by Christ, carries such a heavy influence on every soul it touches.  People are drawn to this kind of love.  They cannot imagine it.  They cannot understand it.  They only know, they must have more of it.  They WANT to find its source.  They develop within themselves a reason and motive to change into people like they bear witness of.  They too want what we have.  They too want to live in a way that brings this kind of joy, this kind of love, this kind of unique method of living.  In this transformational power of Jesus Christ is rooted the true and ONLY draw of Christianity.  It is this simple truth the dragon sought to dilute with his flood.  If he can keep us away from the transformation Christ offers us, he can win.  But when we turn our hearts and minds over to Christ, when we are remade from the inside out, we become imbued with power of the Holy Spirit, and God will NOT be stopped.  It is not our power, but His that shines to the world.  It is not our love, but His that draws the hearts of mankind.  It is not our miracles, but His power working through our broken tools that brings life to those in need.  The outpouring of the latter rain becomes a phenomenon the world has yet to witness.  It is this Salvation, John hears declared in the halls of heaven.  And despite his war against it, the dragon is cast out.  It is NOW when His strength is to see us remade by the Blood of the Lamb, and our Salvation from ourselves seen completed.

But two more beasts were yet to be named and more revelations were to come …