Revelation (Part 23) – Chapter 12: The Woman and the Dragon 7/7/09

So far we have covered 11 of Revelation’s 12 chapters. At this point we may do well to review some of the elements in the first half to recognize their significance in the structure of the book. From our study of chapters 2 and 3 we learned about the messages of Christ to the 7 churches. Each of these messages had a focus or emphasis.

Letter to Ephesus – Love in Relationship
Letter to Smyrna – Endure Trials from Without
Letter to Pergamum – Keep Pure Within
Letter to Thyatira – Do Not Tolerate Heresy
Letter to Sardis – Live for God
Letter to Philadelphia – Belong to God
Letter to Laodicea – Certainty of Reward (and Judgment)

After the letters, John was caught up to the throne room of God, which revealed a picture of impending judgment. Emphasis was made of the scroll that God held. We determined the contents of the scroll based on the timing of Christ’s appearing on the scene (just after his ascension) and his unique worthiness to open the scroll. But this plan of God for this age and the age to come, based on Christ’s atonement, was bound with 7 seals. A break of each seal provided some action, but the action could not be associated with the plan of God for this age since the other seals kept the document closed.

The seal events were as follows:

Seal 1 – Apostolic Message
Seal 2 – War / Violence
Seal 3 – Famine
Seal 4 – Death
Seal 5 – Israel’s Martyrs
Seal 6 – Desolation
Interlude – Israel of God
Seal 7 – Silence

The emphases of the messages to the 7 churches are themes of the entire book of Revelation. Therefore, we ought to be able to see those emphases in the seal activity. As we place them side by side, we do discover a correlation.



Notice that the first message (Love in Relationship) has meaning for the first seal activity (Apostolic Message). Likewise, we find that message 2—Endure Trials from Without—is a theme appropriate when faced with the action of Seal 2—War / Violence. The call to Keep Pure Within also matches the 3rd Seal--Famine, a picture of attack that wages on the inside. The 4th message is the crux or critical basis for all the messages. Heresy is the twisting or altering of the fundamentals of Christ’s Gospel. It was believing heresy that caused the fall of humankind in the Garden. It is heresy that keeps a person from a right faith in God. Therefore, it is heresy that divides those who dwell in heaven from those who dwell on the earth. Seal 4 shows Death – the judgment for those who believe the lie.

The 5th message emphasizes living your life for God. The martyrs of the 5th seal did just that, even to the point of death. The 6th message relates to both Seal 6 and the interlude that follows Seal 6. We found that there is an interlude that also follows the 6th trumpet as well. There is also an interlude between the 6th and 7th bowls of wrath that we will come to in chapter 16. In all instances the interlude is associated with the 6th of each series and gives a counterview to the action of the 6th. So, in the 6th seal we view the desolation that occurs to Jerusalem and those who did not have true faith in Christ, but the interlude shows the opposite—the 144,000 and the multitude in white—all who do have faith in Christ. Finally, the 7th message of Certainty of Reward and Judgment is shown in the 7th seal as silence reigns in regard to God’s interaction forevermore with Israel as a nation.

After the seals were opened, the scroll was opened. Immediately, angelic trumpeters line up to herald God’s Plan through Christ. Each trumpet blast provides some distinction involved in this age—the interadvental period. The trumpets provide the following distinctions:

Trumpet 1 – Hail and Fire
Trumpet 2 – Burning Mountain
Trumpet 3 – Wormwood
Trumpet 4 – Darkness
Trumpet 5 – Locusts
Trumpet 6 – Army of Death
Interlude – Temple; Two Witnesses
Trumpet 7 – Kingdom of God

Again, the message themes from the churches relate to the trumpet distinctives.



The first thing one may notice is that the 1st message of Love in Relationship does not seem to fit so well with the Hail and Fire from the first trumpet. But if we return to the context of chapter 8 we find that, first, the 7 angelic trumpeters march out. Then Christ brings incense, which represents the prayers of the saints, to the altar before the throne. In an action showing the antithesis of his care for the saints, Christ takes the coals of the altar and casts fire to the earth. Immediately, then, the 1st trumpet blows with the continued action of hail and fire poured out on the earth. The connection there of Christ’s activity with the action of the 1st trumpet blast is unmistakable. And, therefore, the activity of Christ in the care of his people provides the connection with the 1st message of relationship.

Endure Trials from Without aptly correlates with trumpet 2—Burning Mountain (Godless governments). Message 3—Keep Pure Within—is connected to trumpet 3 in which the star Wormwood falls on the drinking water and poisons it, picturing the heretical lies that are taken in by the unbelieving, poisoning the mind and heart. Trumpet 4 shows darkness depicting the blinded God-deniers who believe the heresy that message 4 warns against. Message 5 emphasizes living for God. Those God-deniers that have become blinded live for themselves and are tormented by the locusts and scorpions, finding nothing but heartache and misery in the pursuit of themselves. Message 6 again relates to both trumpet 6 and the interlude following. Trumpet 6 depicts the violence, even to death, of the earth-dwellers who are driven to it by the demon horde. But the interlude shows the opposite—the heaven-dwellers, pictured as the temple of God. And through this temple, the Gospel witness goes out to the world (pictured by the two witnesses). These are the people who Belong to God (as noted in message 6). Finally, the 7th message of Certainty in Reward and Judgment is depicted in the 7th trumpet’s blast as the “kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” (11:15).

The following two charts provide a look at the structure of the book. The first is shown in matrix form. The book (apart from a few verses of introduction at the beginning and a few of closing at the end) is divided into 9 sections (represented by the columns in the chart). Each of these 9 sections is divided into its 7 major elements. Thus, we can view God’s Messages in the leftmost column and follow them across as they give thematic emphasis to the elements of the other sections.

The color arrangement on this first chart is to group common sections together. The green sections are those in which Christ interacts only with his own. The yellow sections concern themselves with our current interadvental age. The red sections provide judgment at the end of this age. The center orange section shows a kind of spiritual history from Satan’s work against God and his people from old covenant times all the way until Christ comes again.



The second chart takes these 9 major sections of the book and lays them across a timeline so that we can relate the activity of the storyline a little better. The same color scheme is used.



As noted above, chapters 12-14 provide a look at the spiritual battle that has taken place ever since God first promised a Redeemer to reconcile our fallen race to himself. Of these chapters, chapter 12 takes us from the old covenant time right up to the beginning of our current age.

A woman and a dragon are the main characters of this section. The dragon symbolically depicts Satan. We know that the dragon is Satan because the text tells us as much in verse 9. There is some difference of opinion on who is represented by the woman. Mary, Eve, Israel, and the Church are suggestions by various interpreters. I believe that once we pull out and examine all elements of her description, we will conclude that the woman is the Israel of God—both those belonging to God through the old covenants as well as those who know him through the New Covenant. Following is a list of chapter 12’s descriptive elements about the woman.

WOMAN


The woman is clothed with the sun, moon, and stars. Not only are these heavenly bodies often used as indications of God’s pleasure, they are also used to mark Israel in particular through Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37 in which he sees the trio bowing to him. Upon hearing it, Jacob immediately recognizes these elements as symbols of him and his family. Certainly if the woman is Israel, this “clothing” is appropriate.

Isaiah 26:17 speaks of Israel in birth pains as a woman in labor. Christ was promised to Israel and did come from Israel. And Israel did indeed labor in agony throughout her old covenant travails.

The child of the woman is certainly Christ. He is prophesied to rule with a rod of iron. Notice he is not mentioned as only being caught up to God, but he is caught up to the throne of God, a picture whose result is shown in Hebrews 12:2.

The woman flees, just as Israel fled, on the wings of an eagle. God uses just such imagery in describing Israel’s flight from Pharoah in Exodus 19:4. She flees to a wilderness, again as the children of Israel did in their escape. And we are told that she will be nourished there 1260 days. The 1260 days represent this age in which Christ cares for his church (1 Peter 5:7).

The period of 1260 days is not a literal period of time in the way that it is used in Revelation. This time period is a figurative reference based on the 1260 days or 3½ years that occurred during the second half of the 70th of Daniels 70 Weeks (Daniel 9:24ff). That 70th Week of Daniel’s prophesied period began at the beginning of Christ’s earthly ministry (see Revelation series, Parts 2 and 3). In the middle of that week (3½ years after Christ began his ministry), Christ ends the sacrificial system by himself becoming the once-for-all sacrifice (Daniel 9:27). There follows a period of another 3½ years ending the 70th week with the apostles turning to the Gentiles. So, then, this “week” is made up of 3 ½ years of Christ’s work leading up to the atonement, his atonement activity in dying and rising again, and 3 ½ years following his redemptive act as God completes his work with national Israel. These literal events of this final week of Daniel’s prophecy for Jerusalem provide the background for their figurative depiction in the broader scope for all humankind. The first half of the “week” relates to the old covenant time period leading up to the atonement. Christ accomplishes redemption through his death and resurrection. And the second half of the “week” (a figurative period of 3½ years or 1260 days) is our current age that will end when Christ completes his work with the world. For that reason, John uses the 1260 days in this reference to the woman (the Israel of God) that remains in the “wilderness” (this world) for 1260 days (throughout this age).

The antagonist in chapter 12 is the dragon. There are also 7 descriptive elements about the dragon.

DRAGON


John says that the dragon had 7 heads and 10 horns with diadems (crowns) on his heads. The horns speak of kings and governments. The heads and crowns speak of control. Indeed we see throughout the OT that Satan controlled the kingdoms of the world and even offered them to Christ in the temptation of Matthew 4.

Most people see the stars swept by the dragon’s tail as angels who follow Satan and become his demon accomplices. Yet stars are also mentioned several times in the OT as referring to the offspring of Abraham. Jude speaks of those who failed to follow Christ as “wandering stars” (Jude 13). It is possible that these stars represent those of the people of Israel who did not have faith in God but believed the lies of the world. My reason for suggesting that these stars are disobedient Israelites will be made clear shortly.

The dragon (Satan) is always on the attack against God’s purpose for reconciliation with his creation. During old covenant times, Satan came before God to accuse the faithful. He noted that they were sinners unfit to provide redemption. And as sinners they were irreconcilable to God. The dragon standing by the woman represents these accusatory attacks to prevent redemption. But Christ comes into the world, and Satan’s efforts (through Herod and others) are thwarted. The dragon could not destroy him before he was caught up to God. With redemption accomplished, Satan no longer is justified in his accusations and is cast from heaven (verse 9). But still intent on destroying God’s relationship with his creation, he attacks the woman. The first attack is his deception twisting the apostles’ message to form “different” gospels. Notice that he is here referred to as the serpent because of the association of sly craftiness with a serpent. The water from the dragon’s mouth mimics the river of life from the throne of God. Whereas truth and life come from God’s river, falsehood and death are poured out by Satan. The earth swallows this falsehood but the woman is protected from it. As the dragon realizes his failure to stop the apostles in founding the church, he becomes furious and goes out to make war with the rest of her offspring—those that come to Christ throughout this age.

Now let’s look at each of these descriptive elements side by side to ensure that we understand the progression of thought.





Notice that their appearance indicates their representation. From the woman comes the Redeemer while Satan produces the unbelieving. This is why I believe the stars are the disobedient Israelites rather than demons. It fits better with the imagery portrayed.

Continuing with the 3rd element, the child comes to found the kingdom of God while the dragon seeks to destroy. Next, Christ is caught up to heaven while Satan is cast out. The woman flees to the wilderness while the dragon pursues. She is protected even though Satan attempts to destroy the Gospel message. And she will remain there throughout this age as the dragon attacks her offspring—the people of God.

Revelation (Part 22) – Chapter 11: The Two Witnesses 6/28/09

As we have seen, the interlude following trumpet 6 removes focus for a moment on the destructive activity noted by the trumpets in order to focus on God’s grace and mercy in ensuring the protection and reward of his own. The temple metaphor that begins chapter 11 points to those who dwell in heaven—God’s people. Immediately following the identification of God’s people, John writes of the witness or testimony of those people. That testimony is the Gospel message.

John uses two witnesses to explain the testimony of the Gospel. The witnesses are connected first with Joshua and Zerubbabel through the allusion to the Zechariah discussion of the olive trees and lampstand. The point of Zechariah’s message was to ensure the understanding that it is “not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zech 4:6). Then, through mention of the plagues and powers, the witnesses are also linked to Moses and Elijah.

Moses and Elijah represent the prophets and law of the old covenants. The gospels record the appearance of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration with Christ. But their presence is not to indicate a three-part focus of God’s message. Peter mistakenly suggested building three booths—symbols of the dwelling of God’s people with God—one for each of the three—Moses, Elijah, and Christ. Immediately, however, God speaks from the cloud saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him” (Matt 17:5). When Peter and the disciples look again, they see only Jesus. The point God made was that Moses and Elijah were not on equal footing with Christ, but rather their ministries (law and prophets) were directed to and incorporated by God’s Son in his mission of redemption. That same idea is presented in Revelation 11 as we see the two witnesses, by the power and grace of God, presenting the Gospel of Christ to the world through this age.

A rather dramatic change takes place in verse 7. Here we find that the testimony of Christ’s Gospel will end: “And when they have finished their testimony….” To understand fully what is taking place, we need to recall the broader context of the spiritual conflict across the ages. At the fall of Adam and Eve (and all creation with them), God provided the first inkling of redemption (Gen 3:15) on which he would expand with revelation throughout the old covenant period. A Messiah was promised. God established a covenant with Abraham whose main focus was establishing the people of God through whom the Messiah would eventually come. Those people of God, of course, became the nation of Israel.

Satan had rebelled against God prior to Adam and Eve’s fall. Satan, then, found purpose in attacking God’s people in order to defeat God’s satisfaction in restoration of relationship with his creation. This attack was conducted in a physical vein through the attack by the nations of the world—controlled to an extent by Satan—against the nation of Israel—God’s people. The OT is filled with reports of this conflict. But Satan also conducted a spiritual attack as the accuser of God’s people. (The next chapter of Revelation—chapter 12—gives a title to Satan of “the accuser of our brothers” (12:10)). Satan would appear before God to accuse God’s people of sin. He had a twofold purpose in his accusations. First, he intended to point out the sin of each of God’s people to show that none was qualified to be a redeemer. Second, his accusations were meant to argue that God could not have communion with these sinful people without himself becoming unjust, unrighteous, and impure. But all that changed when Christ came.

Satan tried to tempt Christ to sin. He offered him the kingdoms of the world which he controlled. But Christ refused and remained sinless, qualifying him to be redeemer. Christ took upon himself the sin of the world and suffered the wrath of God in death. In exchange, those of faith receive the righteousness of Christ’s sinless fulfillment of the covenants. No longer, then, is Satan able to stand before God and accuse God’s people of sin. God’s people are made righteous by the work of Christ. We are told that Satan was cast from heaven, no longer to accuse God’s people (Rev 12:9). This occurred at Christ’s atonement. Not only could Satan no longer accuse God’s people of sin, but Christ’s atonement also defeated Satan’s second purpose of trying to show God that he was unjust for communing with sinners. Paul tells us in Romans 3:21-26, “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Additionally, Satan no longer had exclusive control of the nations. He was, in a sense, bound or limited in his deception because the testimony of the Gospel was not limited to only the physical offspring of Abraham, but rather went out to “every nation…all tribes and peoples and languages” (Rev 7:9).

Now we approach this hinge verse in Revelation 11. We learn in verse 7 that this testimony of the Gospel will end. That it ends fits perfectly with what God will reveal in Revelation 20 as Satan, being bound (limited in his deception of the nations) through this age, will be released again to deceive for “a little while” (20:3) or “an hour” (17:12) or, as noted here in our current passage, “three and a half days” (11:9).

What will this end of the testimony and deception of Satan look like? We are not told exactly. But from indications in Scripture it appears that this deception against the testimony of Christ will not be through military conquest and capital punishment but rather through a deceptive altering of values and virtues defined by the nature and revelation of God. We have seen much activity in this regard through the last 2000 years and especially in the last 40 years. Marriage—the institution God gave to picture the intimacy of relationship with him—has been ignored, devalued, and redefined. Religion is being pushed from public exposure to a background limitation. Love of self is claimed as the greatest love as opposed to God’s sacrificial definition (John 15:13). Newly created “virtues” not only stand side by side but replace the old—“virtues” such as individual rights, tolerance toward what used to be called sin, and others. By this restructuring of values and virtues the world is seeking to relieve itself of accountability to the limiting structure of God and thus rid itself of the burden of guilt. No wonder that we find in verse 10 that when the testimony of the Gospel is, in effect, dead, the people “who dwell on the earth” will be rejoicing and making merry.

But this condition of the complete psychological and philosophical restructuring of human morality through the deception of Satan is short-lived. That is the emphasis given to the short time spans noted (i.e., 3 ½ days, an hour, a little while). Whether this short time is an actual hour or a year or longer, we are not told for certain. But we are told for certain that it will end as Christ returns. He comes as Paul told us in 1 Thessalonians 4 and gathers his own. He overcomes any resistance to his appearance (1/10 of the city falls and 7000 die in the earthquake). And he comes to bring certain final judgment to those who have denied him.

The city described as Sodom, Egypt, and Jerusalem in verse 8 is representative of the earth-dwellers home. Sodom’s sin was in destruction of the relationship of person with person (Gen 18:20-21 and 19:5, 9). Egypt’s sin was in destruction of relationship between people and the earth (Ezekiel 29:3 but judged in 30:12). Jerusalem’s sin was in rejection and condemnation of Christ (God) in his first advent. Thus, we see pictured the same all-encompassing destruction of relationship that occurred when Adam and Eve fell. The curses applied to Adam and Eve reflected this trio of broken relationships (see series on Women).

But despite the denials in this age, when Christ returns, those who had been God-deniers and are then doomed for an eternal death will give “glory to the God of heaven” (11:13). This truth is a repetition of that which we already learned. “Every eye will see him” (Rev 1:7) and “every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:11).

With this description of the coming of Christ—an event that is described, but not yet realized in the flow of Revelation’s storyline—the interlude between trumpets 6 and 7 comes to an end. Remember our place in the storyline. The seals were broken; the scroll opens; and the trumpets herald the coming age in their description. We now approach the final trumpet description.

Notice that the trumpets so far have provided imagery in the exact sequence that Paul provided his teaching in Romans 1. There he told us that God has made himself evident to everyone through creation. But the God-deniers, claiming to be wise, become fools, believing a lie. They are blinded to God’s truth. As a result, they are given over by God to the pursuit of sin. Likewise with trumpets 1 and 2 we see God’s activity through creation and government. In trumpets 3 and 4, the God-deniers believe a lie and are blinded. In trumpets 5 and 6, the God-deniers receive the torment and destruction enhanced by spiritual forces as a result of their rebellion.

The 7th trumpet sounds, and we learn that the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord. How is this possible when Christ said to Pilate that his kingdom was not of the earth? (John 18:36). What is stated here in Revelation 11 is the triumph of the cross. Because of Christ’s atonement he has redeemed for his kingdom those of faith from “every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Rev 7:9). Thus, from the kingdom of the world—Satan’s pre-atonement domain—the kingdom of Christ is built.

Mention should also be made of the elders praise in verses 17 and 18. The ESV uses past tense to note the timing of God’s wrath. A better translation would be “has come” rather than “came,” (HCSB, NIV, KJV “is come”) to indicate that we have approached the time rather than that it has already occurred.

The trumpet sequence closes with the revelation of the ark of God in God’s heavenly temple—the picture of restored relationship of the faithful with their God.

Revelation (Part 21) – Chapter 10-11: Trumpet Interlude 6/23/09

As I’ve stated before, proper interpretation of the book of Revelation must maintain a firm hold on (1) the biblical (especially OT) basis for the imagery, (2) the doctrinal expression of the rest of the NT, and (3) a consistency with the storyline throughout this book that provides interweaving purpose to all the elements. This last point, I think, is where both futurists and idealists often misfire in their interpretations. The futurist demands literal focus but then must separate the supposed literal elements and events from each other since they do not present a consistent, purposeful coalescence. The idealist may be more likely to recognize OT symbolism in certain Revelation elements, but also many times misses the correct Revelational meaning because of failure to connect the symbols together in harmonious progression.

To ensure that we stay on course, let’s quickly review how we arrived at our current place among the trumpets heralding the characteristics of this interadvental age. In Revelation 4 we entered the throne room of God. The scene held several elements associated with authority and judgment. The 24 elders pictured there provided a judicious heavenly assembly that contrasted with the 24 elders of the Sanhedrin who had condemned Christ, judging him not worthy.

God holds a scroll in his hand. A strong angel calls out asking who is worthy to open the scroll. At first, it appears no one will answer. But Christ comes forward to take the scroll. Christ is presented as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, and as a Lamb that had been slain. That presentation refers to his earthly ministry in his first advent in which he accomplished redemption. From this specific presentation, we understand the time as being just after his ascension to heaven. As he takes the scroll, the 24 elder heavenly Sanhedrin bows before him, acknowledging his worthiness.

Christ’s presentation along with his unique qualification for opening the scroll provides us with the necessary clues to determine what the scroll contains. The scroll must be the plan of God revealing what will occur in this age and the age to come as a result of Christ’s atoning work.

Christ begins to open the scroll by breaking the seals. We note, however, that until the last (7th) seal is broken, the scroll remains closed. Therefore, the action that takes place in the breaking of the first 6 seals is not related to the contents of the scroll. The events of those seals, then, must be transitional events that occur between the old covenants and the New Covenant that Christ established. The transition includes the ending of the old covenants pictured by the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem (which occurred in AD 70) and the apostolic age which founded the church. Seal 1 and the interlude provide pictures of the apostolic mission while the other seals show us the judgment of Jerusalem and close of the old covenant relationship with national Israel.

Once the 7th seal is broken, the scroll is opened. After the scroll is opened, angelic trumpeters come forward to herald God’s plan. We find in the display his judgment on the wickedness of the world. But it is a displeasure that continues through the age rather than immediately wipes out the evil. This displeasure continues because of God’s purpose during this age to gather those into his kingdom who are redeemed by Christ.

In our last study we looked at characteristics of this age that are pictured in the first 5 trumpet blasts. With the 1st we saw hail and fire symbolizing the physical disasters that occur by the hand of the sovereign Lord. Trumpet 2 showed us God’s control and judgment on the governments of the world that do not follow God. The Wormwood bitterness in the sources of drinking water shown by trumpet 3 reminded us of the God-deniers in Romans 1 who, Paul says, believe a lie. From the denial of God, we find in trumpet 4 a world without light—as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:4, the minds of the unbelievers are blinded. With the 5th trumpet, demons come to torment the God-deniers. They come as locusts in overwhelming attack. They come as scorpions in subversive attack. The result is pain and misery.

Now we reach the 6th trumpet. We read in chapter 9 verse 14 that the angels bound in the river Euphrates are released. The Euphrates river marked the far eastern edge of both the Israelite kingdom (1 Kings 4:21) and the Roman Empire. For the Israelites, it metaphorically stood as a boundary between good and evil. But for both it was the boundary that separated the known world from the rest of the world. Both those ideas come into play here as we see evil that God says will be a worldwide characteristic.

Suddenly we are confronted by a huge horde of riders—twice ten thousand times ten thousand. Of course we can calculate this out to 200 million, but that kind of loses the effect. The point is that this is a huge army of people who go on the attack. But who are they attacking? As the scene continues to unfold, we discover that they are riding horses whose mouths issue forth fire, smoke, and sulfur. Torment is in the tails of these horses. Does that sound familiar? Back in trumpet 5 we saw the demons appearing “like horses” (9:7) with “teeth like lions’ teeth (9:8) whose “power…is in their tails” (9:10). The connection is obvious. These demon forces drive unbelieving humankind toward war and violence committed against each other. And we read that as a result, a third of humankind is killed (9:18).

The six trumpets so far have revealed an absolutely dreadful and terrible age of evil. The denying of God spurred on by Satan’s demonic horde produce pain, misery, torment, and death. And the bewildering thing about it all is that even with all this in plain sight of us, the God-deniers continue to rebel against God: “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts” (9:20-21).

Into this sad and horrific scene, a mighty angel appears. This mighty angel is Christ. We know this from his description. He comes wrapped in a cloud. The cloud accompaniment is often used for God (e.g., pillar that led Israel, God’s presence at the Mount of Transfiguration, Christ’s ascension into the clouds, and his promise to return in the clouds). His face shines as the sun (Rev 1:15; Matthew 17:2). His voice is like a lion roaring (Rev 5:5). And he is crowned with a rainbow. The rainbow is God’s covenant sign that he would not again destroy the world as he did with the flood. At that time, the world was evil—“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Because of that wickedness, God destroyed. But here now in Revelation we have just been given that same kind of depiction of evil. Christ comes on the scene, and we would think because of the absolute purity of Christ, he will destroy this horrific, evil world. But he doesn’t. He wears the rainbow, remembering his promise to withhold final destruction until the end. This provides the second strong indication that the terror and judgment we find with the trumpets is not the final judgment. The final judgment will come later. The first indication was that only 1/3 of the earth and humanity were harmed in the scenes of these trumpet blasts. In the final judgment, all evil will be destroyed. Now, the second indication that this is not yet the final judgment is the presence of the rainbow crown on Christ.

But Christ does cry out amid this evil, and we are put in mind of Christ’s woes to the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23, ending with his lament over Jerusalem, saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!” (Matthew 23:37). Here, Christ appears in the midst of this terrible scene of evil, and you can hear the lament in the sound as he cries out with a roar. The 7 thunders respond to his cry. We know thunder is consistently used in Revelation as a symbol of judgment. We know that the number 7 means perfect completion. Therefore, the 7 thunders must be the final complete judgment. That final judgment is the rightful response to Christ’s cry over the evil of the world. But John is told not to write down the 7 thunders. In other words, the time for final judgment is not yet. (This is the third indication that the trumpets do not depict final judgment.)

The next activity is puzzling. We saw the rainbow. We saw that John was to delay writing about final judgment. Yet the very next thing that Christ does is proclaim that “there would be no more delay” (10:6). But remember where we are in the storyline. The scroll has just been opened. The 7 trumpets are heralding the description of this age. This pronouncement of “no more delay” does not occur at the end of time; it occurs as the trumpets are sounding at the beginning of this age. What, then, will not be delayed? The next verse tells us—“the mystery of God would be fulfilled” (10:7). We find then that this pronouncement that there will be no more delay before the mystery of God is fulfilled exactly corresponds with our timeline. Romans 16:25-26 tells us, “Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith.” The obedience of faith through the accomplished work of Christ so that all peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations may come to him is that mystery that is no longer delayed. Christ has accomplished the way.

This, then, is the reason that final judgment does not come. Even though the trumpets have declared the horrific description of this age of evil, yet it is in this age that Christ will gather his own—his redeemed. This very truth is illustrated in the next few verses as John is given a little scroll to eat. It is sweet in his mouth but bitter in his stomach. The gathering to God is sweet, but it is done in the midst of evil and judgment. The scene parallels Ezekiel’s ministry. Ezekiel was also given a scroll of judgment to eat in Ezekiel 3.

Chapter 11 opens with John being given the command to measure the temple, the altar, and the worshipers. Of course, at this time there was no actual temple in Jerusalem. It had been destroyed in AD 70. The action of measuring is the same kind of demarcation we read of in 7:3 during the seal judgments of Jerusalem. There we heard the angel say, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” In Ezekiel, before Jerusalem’s destruction, the man in white linen was to mark those who belonged to God (Ezekiel 9:4). Here in Revelation, we have the same picture presented. Evil rages; God will judge; but first he marks, seals, measures, identifies his own. In NT usage (after the Gospels), the temple most often refers to the covenant body of the saved. We read of that temple of believers in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 and 2 Corinthians 6:16. We also have already seen it in Revelation as Christ promised the Philadelphians that the one who conquers would be made “a pillar in the temple of my God” (3:12).

The scene immediately shifts to two witnesses. Let’s make sure we keep hold of the storyline. These witnesses, identified immediately after the marking of God’s people, testify of Christ during this age. These witnesses represent you and me and all of God’s people of faith throughout this age. But we have more to solidify this interpretation. Look at the basis of their description found in the rest of Scripture. They are Christ’s olive trees and lampstands—an allusion to Joshua, the high priest, and Zerubbabel, Israel’s leader after the exile. In Zechariah 4, we are made to understand that Zerubbabel and Joshua receive their power (symbolized through the olive tree and lampstand imagery) through God. So do these two Revelation witnesses, and so do we, God’s people of faith. They produce fire, shut up the skies, and call down plagues. Moses and Elijah performed all these miracles through the power of God. It is this same power of God that the two witnesses will wield, and so do we wield the power of God through the message of the Gospel.

Please don’t get hung up by the literal expressions in this chapter of fire and plagues. OT physical events are often used to picture NT spiritual realities. And not only does the OT use imagery, but the NT does as well. Remember Mark 16:18, speaking of us—the redeemed—Christ says, “they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” As Christians, we are not meant to go around playing with snakes and drinking poison. If we can understand Mark’s gospel to be using physical elements to paint a spiritual picture, surely we can understand John in his apocalyptic masterpiece to employ physical elements for his spiritual picture as well.

Verse 7 of chapter 11 tells us of what will occur when these witnesses “finish their testimony.” With this we will begin our next discussion.

Revelation (Part 20) - Chapter 8-9: The Trumpets 6/9/09

The scroll is open. What is revealed is God’s sovereign plan and activity in this age and the age to come as a result of Christ’s old covenant fulfillment, atonement, and New Covenant initiation. The purpose of trumpets is to herald, and so it is fitting that the characteristics of this age are revealed by trumpets.

The trumpets call some fantastic imagery. Most futurists insist the descriptions depict literal events and actions. And their insistence is one of the reasons why futurists are futurists; since a literal display of these events has not occurred on earth to this point, they reason that these events must still be coming in the future. The events must be literal, so they say, because they were literal events in the OT. The plagues on Egypt prior to Pharoah’s release of Moses and the children of Israel literally occurred, and many of those plagues were similar to the trumpet events. Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah were literally destroyed with hail and fire just as the first trumpet describes.

However, I believe we must interpret the trumpet calls as figurative rather than literal displays, but not because a literal fulfillment of these events is outside the manageability of God or simply because we arbitrarily choose to interpret all things figuratively. Rather, I believe our context calls for a figurative interpretation. Our contextual interpretation thus far has brought us through the transition from the old covenant fulfillment in Christ to the revelation of the mystery of the New Covenant. God has shown that mere physical heritage has not been his intention for relationship with him. Christ’s covenant fulfillment has opened the way for all people, tribes, tongues, and nations to enter the fold of God through faith in him and his atonement. At this point, then, the scroll of God’s plan is being revealed. To assign these trumpets, therefore, to some future time period would be an inconsistent, arbitrary interpretation in which we would have to ignore the progression of revelation so far. We must conclude that these trumpet blasts take place at the beginning rather than at the end of New Covenant revelation.

Christ is the angel at work in the opening verses of chapter 8. The intercessory act of carrying prayers of God’s people to the throne is, by God’s own decree, a priestly function that only Christ will perform. That John portrays him as an angel is not so unusual as might be first assumed. The meaning of the word angel is messenger. Therefore, the term “angel” is not so much an ontological designation (referring to a being) as it is a functional designation (referring to an activity). We find God’s message in the Old Testament often brought by the “angel of the Lord.” And this angel, we must discern, is often a reference to Christ. Consider the following texts.

Gensis 16:7-10 – The “angel of the Lord” comes to Hagar after she has fled from the harsh treatment by Sarai. The angel tells her to return and promises in verse 10, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” This promise is one that only God fulfills. Thus, the angel’s use of “I” tells us that this is a Christophany—an appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ.

Genesis 22:11-12 – As Abraham is about to sacrifice his son Isaac on a mountain in Moriah, the “angel of the Lord” stops him saying in verse 12, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” The “me” of this statement indicates that it is God speaking.

Exodus 3:2-6 – As Moses tends his father-in-law’s flock at Horeb, the “angel of the Lord” appears to him in a burning bush. Verse 4 tells us that “God called to him out of the bush.”

Judges 2:1 – The “angel of the Lord” speaks to the people of Israel telling them, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers.” Again, the “I” tells us that it is God who speaks.

Many other examples exist, but these should be sufficient for us to understand that Christ in his pre-incarnate appearances is often referred to as an angel. The Church Fathers often spoke of Christ as an angel. Justin Martyr did so frequently, especially in his discussion of the prophecy in Isaiah 9. Rather than referring to the Hebrew, he employs the Septuagint’s rendering of verse 6: “For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, whose government is upon his shoulder: and his name is called the angel of great counsel….”

We also refer to Christ as the Word made flesh. What is the Word if not the message of God? And the Word made flesh combines the message with the messenger—the angel of God. Therefore, John’s use of angel as a designation of Christ is not at all unjustified or even intentionally obscure. Also interesting is that within the presentation of his vision, John never refers to Christ during his appearance in the vision as Christ or as Jesus. We understand Christ’s presence by other titles, by his description, or by the activity he performs. We will find three references in Revelation to Christ using the designation “angel.” But the description and activity surrounding these incidents assure us that it is of Christ that John writes.

In Revelation 8:7 the first trumpet sounds. The result is hail and fire mixed with blood poured out upon the earth. I believe this is a direct link to verse 5 in which Christ threw fire from the altar to the earth. The link tells us that this is active involvement of judgment by God and Christ in the affairs of humanity. God is not an uninvolved watcher as the deists portray. The sin of humankind is met with God’s wrath in this age just as it had been throughout old covenant times. Remember that the scroll has just been opened and the trumpets are heralding the activity of the entire age. So in this first trumpet we see God’s hand involved in judgment throughout the age—from first advent to second.

We will find that these trumpet blasts are similar to the bowls of wrath poured out in Revelation 16. In fact, they line up almost exactly with similar elements in each. Both the first trumpet and the first bowl affect the earth. The second of each affect the sea. The third pair concern rivers and springs. The fourth involves the sun. The fifth trumpet mentions the abyss while the fifth bowl speaks of the throne of Satan. The sixth pair involves the Euphrates. Finally, the seventh of both employ hail and fire.

But the differences are significant. In the trumpet blasts we are repeatedly told that 1/3 of earth, sea, sun, etc. are affected, while the bowls show complete judgment. The less than complete effect of the trumpet activity aligns perfectly with the contextual storyline. Again, the trumpets provide a description of the activity of this age. Although God does actively work in judgment throughout the age, he is also concerned with the Gospel’s delivery throughout the age in gathering those of faith into his kingdom. Thus, the judgment will not be complete until the end. The references to only 1/3 effect clearly show us this yet partial judgment.

The first trumpet, therefore, emphasizes God’s judgment through this age on the earth. Of course, God is not punishing the land and trees, but rather he is using violence in nature to show his wrath. I believe that this judgment indicates the desolation throughout this age caused by earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes, lightning, storms, mudslides, etc. These are the “natural disasters” that have hit the earth and been responsible for countless lives lost. God is sovereign. God controls all things. An earthquake does not occur, and God says, “Oops! Didn’t see that coming.” God knows, and God controls.

The language is judgmental, but the language is also physical. So there is both a figurative and a literal element in the fulfillment of this picture. The hail and fire represent God’s wrath and judgment, but they do so in the literal sense of physical or natural disasters on the earth. This first trumpet, then, with its emphasis on harming the earth, seems to indicate the destruction that occurs throughout this age from these natural causes.

The second trumpet judgment provides us with an image full of heavily used symbols. As a figure, mountains are almost always used to represent kingdoms. And a burning mountain?—that is a kingdom being judged. Jeremiah 51:25 provides a complementary image. Speaking of Babylon, God says, “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, declares the Lord, which destroys the whole earth; I will stretch out my hand against you, and roll you down from the crags, and make you a burnt mountain.” Because these trumpets are heralding the characteristics of this age, I think this second trumpet represents God’s judgment on any government that defies him. And we have seen kingdoms, empires, and nations rise and fall throughout this age.

I also think that there may be a more specific intended meaning with regard to Rome. Rome was the empire in control of the world during the time of the writing of Revelation. The overthrow of this empire was indicated in Revelation 6:11. The message of this mountain may be a reference to Rome’s overthrow. The sea usually pictures people. The devastating effects of Rome’s fall plunged the world into the “dark ages.” But death and destruction associated with the figurative sea turning to blood, I believe, has fulfillment throughout this age, not just in Rome’s collapse.

The first two trumpets are direct acts of God acting in wrath against the sin of the world through the means of natural disaster and overthrow of governments. As we move to the third and fourth trumpets, we will see consequences of individual sin through the twisting and rejection of the truth of God.

As the third trumpet blows, a star falls “from heaven, blazing as a torch” (8:10). Both the star and the water of this verse have symbolic meanings of truth. The fall of the star and the bitterness caused in the water reflect a twisting or perversion of the truth. The water pictured in this scene (rivers and springs) provides the source of drinking water. The result is that people die when drinking the bitter water. The idea presented is that God’s truth is perverted and then taken in (accepted) by those who reject God. Paul presents the same idea in Romans 1. There he tells us of those who reject the knowledge God gives of himself: “Claiming to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22). And further, “God gave them up…because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie” (Romans 1:24-25). Amos 5:7 presents this same idea of the perversion of truth likened to the bitterness of wormwood: “O you who turn justice to wormwood and cast down righteousness to the earth!”

The presentation of the fourth trumpet follows close on the heels of the third. In the fourth, a third of the sun, moon, and stars are darkened. The Bible often uses the contrast of light and darkness in relation to truth and error.

1 Samuel 2:9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness.”
Psalm 18:28 “For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.”
Psalm 82:5 “They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness.”

Again in Romans 1, Paul connects the ideas of the third and fourth trumpets as he says, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21).

These two trumpets show the denial of God evidenced in this age in which people through deception, twisting, and rejection lose sight of God

In the first two trumpets we saw God’s direct hand in judgment through his control of physical or natural disasters and the rise and fall of governments. The next two trumpets emphasized the sin of turning from God in perversion of truth. All of these are characteristics of this age. Evil is intensified in the next two trumpets as the spiritual forces of darkness join in the attack.

As the fifth trumpet sounds, we see a star fallen from heaven who is given a key to the bottomless pit. This fallen star most likely is Satan. Twice in the Gospels we are told that Satan falls or is cast out of heaven (Luke 10:17-18 and John 12:31-32). This star also controls the bottomless pit or abyss which we know again from the Gospels is the dwelling place of demons (Luke 8:27-31).

As Satan opens the abyss, a demon horde, described as locusts and scorpions, come pouring out. Locusts and scorpions were terrible pests of the 1st century. Locusts swept through fields, eating and destroying. The result was devastating to those whose livelihood depended on their crops. Scorpions also were feared, and beds and sandals were always checked. These two creatures represent the overwhelming, direct assault (locusts) that the dark spiritual forces (demons) of this world employ as well as the indirect misdirection (scorpions) through truth perversion into errant philosophy and religious reconstruction.

These locusts are told not to harm the vegetation. This is mentioned to ensure that we understand these locusts are not like normal locusts that feed on the plants. These are a demonic horde that comes to torment people. Their torment lasts for 5 months. Five months is the length of time both of the typical harvest period (June – October) and of the lifespan of the desert locust. Thus, we are told that this torment lasts throughout this age of gathering for the kingdom.

Revelation (Part 19) - Chapter 7: The 144,000 6/2/09

At this point, after the sixth seal has been opened and the judgment has gone forth, an interlude follows. In this scene at the beginning of chapter 7, John sees four angels holding back the four winds. These angels appear to be prepared to bring about judgment. Therefore, although the picture here follows the previous picture of judgment, the action taking place occurred just prior to the previous judgment. This shows us clearly that although the seals appear to be opened sequentially, their action is not necessarily a sequential series of judgments, but rather merely different perspectives for what is going on. Surely we saw that already in the first four seals where the horsemen did not bring about apostolic activity, war, famine, and death at separate times, but rather all together.

Continuing in this interlude following the opening and image presentation of the sixth seal, another angel calls out to the four that are holding back the winds of judgment, telling them that they should not harm the earth (land) until the people of God are sealed. This scene mirrors the one in Ezekiel 9. A seal would be given to mark those who had faith in God. In Ezekiel 9, the seal/mark was the Hebrew letter tau—in other words, the sign of the cross. Here in Revelation 7, the seal is the cross, or what the cross represents—salvation through faith in Christ’s redemption.

We are told that 144,000 are sealed from among the tribes of Israel. Many amillennialists believe this number to be figuratively speaking of the total number of the saved throughout this age. They believe so because they understand the opening of the scroll seals to represent the entire age from first advent to second. However, if, as we have discussed, the seal judgments are specifically in regard to the desolation of Israel, the sense of the 144,000 is made clearer. These 144,000 represent the saved (those of faith) of national Israel through all its old covenant history. What is being revealed here is encouragement to know that those who were of faith from the old covenant system will be kept by God as he promised. Christ’s atonement effected their salvation just as it has for all those subsequent to his coming.

For those who strain at the details, we may wonder at the listing of the 12 tribes in verses 5 through 8. Levi is included (which ought to give us 13 tribes). But Dan is left out. Some have theorized that Dan’s rejection is due to that tribe’s particular sin of idolatry noted in Judges 18. That reason would seem odd to me considering that every one of the tribes participated in idolatry. I am not so certain that we are to try to derive meaning from Dan’s omission. Other slight oddities also exist in this list. The order of the tribes listed is an order not found anywhere else in Scripture. And they are not ordered according to birth, mother, population, Exodus marching or camping order, or any other order that I can think of. Additionally, Joseph is included as one of the tribes, supposedly named instead of Joseph’s son, Ephraim, while Joseph’s other son, Manasseh, is included. Perhaps these changes to the familiar are meant simply to separate this list from the familiar. After all, these here sealed are those of faith. The same tribes exist for those who did not have faith and were judged by God for their lack. The differences may then be only to shake our thoughts into understanding that this is a special group—only those of faith.

Additionally, since the meaning of the name Dan is judge, perhaps Dan is left out because these 144,000 make up those who will not be judged by God through the desolation pictured in the opening seals.

But this transition period of the breaking of the seals to the scroll is not only about judgment on the nation of Israel. It is also the establishment of the New Covenant. We saw the white horse gallop forth with Gospel conquest through apostolic activity after the first seal was broken. After presentation of the 144,000, the saved of Israel, we learn of “a great multitude that no one could number from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (7:9-10). Notice the contrast in verse 9. Unlike the 144,000, these are from every tribe of the earth, obviously representing all those of faith that Christ has redeemed. And thus, the transition purpose is fulfilled—the judgment on national Israel and the gathering together into one group the saved of the Jews and the saved of the Gentiles. Verse 14 tells us as much. The elder explains that these are those “coming out of the great tribulation.” Coming out of the tribulation does not mean that they lived during it and survived or that they were killed during it for the sake of Christ. The tribulation (the judgment on Jerusalem and the nation of Israel) produced or made way for the New Covenant. Therefore, in that sense, these saved through the New Covenant came out of the transition—the tribulation. Verses 15 through 17 (the end of the chapter) provide the blessing of the New Covenant. They describe the glory of the eternal relationship we now have with God.

The seventh seal is broken in verse 1 of chapter 8. And immediately upon its break, silence occurs in heaven for half an hour. Some commentators have surmised that the silence preludes the trumpets, and indeed that may be part of the purpose. Remember the main action of the storyline. Christ, the only one worthy, is opening the scroll that will reveal God’s New Covenant plan that will be in force until Christ returns. And in this plan is the ultimate judgment on all evil, including Satan, his demons, and all his earthly followers. With the breaking of seals 1 through 6, the scroll remained closed—still sealed. But with the breaking of the 7th seal, the scroll opens. Thus, the transition is complete.

But I think the silence is significant because these seals show the end of God’s relationship with national Israel. God is turning away from the nation—now and forever—because of their rejection (as a nation) of Christ. The silence is an awful silence. God is never to speak to them as his people again as a nation. The half hour pause here is to depict that and to reflect on that.

And now the scroll is open. Now seven angels appear before God and are given seven trumpets to herald the opened scroll’s revelation. But first an angel comes to the heavenly altar to bring the prayers of the saints to God. This angel must be Christ. Hebrews explains very carefully that because of Christ’s atonement there is no other intercessor or mediator between us and God. An angel does not intercede for us but rather we speak directly to our God. Thus, it must be Christ that carries our prayers. The scene shows Christ bringing prayers to God by means of the altar, and then taking from that same altar fire to be hurled upon the earth. Notice the judgment language that ends verse 5: “and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”

This same progression of prayer to God and God’s resulting judgment is pictured in the Old Testament in one of David’s psalms. Psalm 18:6 tells us that David presented his prayer to God: “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.” Then judgment is pictured from God in the same kind of judgment language we have found in Revelation: “Then the earth reeled and rocked, the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry” (7); “The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire” (13). What Christ has shown us in the opening verses of Revelation 8 prepare us for the sounding of the trumpets.

Revelation (Part 18) - Chapter 6: The Seals Opened 5/26/09

Christ opens the second seal in verse 3, and the next cherub calls for another horse and rider. This horse is bright red—the color of blood just as it is spilled. The rider is permitted to take peace from the earth. And the rider is given a sword. A too swift interpretive approach may equate this rider with sacrifice. The blood being spilled could be Christ’s blood. The sword given and peace taken from earth remind us of Christ’s words in Matthew 10:34: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Even with this seemingly strong connection to Christ, we must not allow our imaginations to drift away from context. Remember at this point the sacrifice is done. Christ has died, been raised, and ascended to heaven. He is here opening the seals, marking the transition to the New Covenant. The Gospel message is going out through the apostles. He cannot here be presenting the picture of sacrifice again. It is once for all complete. With this horse and rider, a different violent activity rages. And this violence is in keeping with the transition period ending God’s relationship with the nation of Israel. Desolation has come to Jerusalem. Remember some of the description Josephus gave of the siege by the Romans on the city.

Book V.1.3 “. . .the dead bodies of strangers were mingled together with those of their own country, and those of profane persons with those of the priests, and the blood of all sorts of dead carcasses stood in lakes in the holy courts themselves.”

Book V.11.1 “So the soldiers, out of the wrath and hatred they bore the Jews, nailed those they caught, one after one way, and another after another, to the crosses, by way of jest, when their multitude was so great, that room was wanting for the crosses, and crosses wanting for the bodies.”

Here context, history, and symbolism all merge in perfect picture of the struggle within the walls of Jerusalem in that time period just prior to Jerusalem’s fall in AD 70. The next horse and rider add to this picture. A black horse appears whose rider holds a pair of scales. An exorbitant price for wheat and barley are called out along with concern about oil and wine. Famine is pictured. Again, Josephus presents the picture:

Book V.12.3 “Then did the famine widen its progress, and devoured the people by whole houses and families; the upper rooms were full of women and children that were dying by famine, and the lanes of the city were full of the dead bodies of the aged; the children also and the young men wandered about the market-places like shadows, all swelled with the famine, and fell down dead, wheresoever their misery seized them.”

With the fourth horse and rider the picture is complete. The pale horse of death comes forth. In verse 8, Death is named and we learn that by sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts, “over a fourth of the earth” will be killed. The number appears staggering. And it doesn’t quite seem to line up with our context. Are we not seeing here the desolation of the temple and Jerusalem? Then why are ¼ of the people of the earth dying as a result of the opening of these seals?

While we often use our English word earth as the name of our planet, usually the meaning in Revelation draws attention to the specific land of the context. The Greek word for earth here is ge. It is the prefix we use, for example, in our words such as geology (study of the dynamics of earth) and geothermal (heat from the earth). It is translated in the Bible often as land or ground. For example, in Matthew 10 we read of two sparrows and that neither will fall to the ground (ge) apart from God’s knowledge and sovereign control. In the parable of the seed, again we see some seed fall on good ground (ge) (Matthew 13). Matthew 27:45 is of particular note. In this chapter we read of Christ’s crucifixion. The verse reads that “from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.” The “land” in that verse again is the Greek ge. If the translators had used earth instead of land, we would have read that “there was darkness over all the earth,” and the literalists among us would be arguing that it was dark everywhere, not just in Jerusalem. But the word isn’t used as the name of the planet, but rather as a reference to the immediate land of context. Again, as we review the lesson of the mustard seed in Mark 4:30-32, we could confuse the term earth (ge) with the name of the planet, resulting in a perceived inaccuracy of the Word of God. Speaking of the kingdom of God, verse 31 reads, “It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth.” Really? The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds on the planet? Well, no. There are smaller seeds. But this was not what Christ was saying. In this passage he gives an example of a particular plot of land in which seeds were sown. Of those seeds, the mustard seed may have been the smallest of all in the “land” (earth or ge), but it would grow to be larger than all the plants in this plot of ground (not taller than all the trees in the world). So, in this context especially it is important to note the difference between earth as our planet’s name and earth as a synonym for ground or land relating to a certain context.

Understanding this reference will help not only in specific Revelation imagery about the area covered, but also in the reference to the twofold category of people. Those of faith are said to “dwell in heaven,” and we often see them already pictured in heaven (as with the 24 elders). Those who do not have faith in God are said to dwell on the earth. This is not merely a location reference to the planet. Those that live on and for the earth are characterized by their loyalty and devotion to the earth—to the land, to the creation. Recall Paul’s words in Romans 1:25, “they [those without faith] exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

Those dwelling on earth rather than in heaven (Rev 1:7; 13:6&8) are mentioned in that way because they receive their inheritance from the earth rather than from heaven. This is the great difference between the antichristic element of the world and Christ. Christ, our God, is truth, goodness, and beauty. But humanity’s twist away from the goodness and truth of God has established a standard opposed to God that is of this earth. And we who are Christians may still fall prey to this earthly thinking the more we grapple for control and act according to the faulty standard of our own nature. Throughout the church messages, John gave us Christ’s word of warning and promised blessing to the end that we give up ourselves to follow him.

Back in Revelation 6, we learn that a quarter of the people of the earth (or, of the land in context—Jerusalem), were killed. Does this match with what we know in history? Josephus is the only one we can turn to who provides some kind of estimate of those killed in the AD 70 overthrow of Jerusalem. He said that the population of Jerusalem at this time was about 3,000,000. He also states that about 1,000,000 died through this period. Thus, he estimates that one-third of the population was killed—a little more than the Bible’s one quarter. However, with the error intrinsic in a mere guess by Josephus and the additional visitors to the city at the time, I think we may find the actual number is very close to the biblical figure.

Revelation 6:8 tells us that the one fourth of the people were killed with sword, famine, pestilence, and wild beasts. Ezekiel 14 provides us with one of Ezekiel’s perspectives on Jerusalem’s destruction. In that chapter verses 12-14 describe famine. Verses 15 and 16 discuss wild beasts. Verses 17 and 18 mention those killed with the sword. And verses 19 and 20 speak of pestilence. These four means of judgment laid out in Ezekiel and meant for faithless Jerusalem are exactly the means of judgment specified here in Revelation after opening the first four seals, thus providing additional confirmation that the seal judgments relate to Jerusalem and Israel rather than to the world at large.

Back in our study titled Women, we reviewed the ideals of relationship which humankind enjoyed before the fall. These were relationship with each other, with the earth, and with God. All three of those were lost with the fall, and God speaks to each in the curses pronounced in Genesis 3. Here again in Revelation 6 we see these curses realized through the judgment of the horsemen. The red horse of violence shows the harm to relationships with each other. The black horse of famine symbolizes the disruption of relationship with the earth. And the pale horse named Death speaks of humankind’s eternal separation from God.

In verse 9 of Revelation 6, Christ opens the fifth seal. While the horses and horsemen portrayed the Gospel going forth and types of judgment in a general fashion, the fifth seal begins a more specific tie to the transition from old covenants to the New Covenant. After this seal is broken, we are shown the souls under the altar who had been slain for their witness for God. They ask God how long he will wait before executing judgment and vengeance for their spilled blood. We must be careful to understand the implication here. Verse 8 told us that one fourth of the people of the land were killed in judgment; yet, immediately after, these martyred souls ask how long until judgment will come against the ones who caused their deaths. The obvious implication is that this current judgment of Jerusalem and Israel is different from the judgment that will be meted out on the slayers of God’s witnesses.

Who are these martyrs? When did they die? Who was responsible for their deaths? Let’s keep our feet on the ground as we look for these answers. Let’s keep firm hold of the context. In the scene before us, Jerusalem (National Israel) is being judged. Therefore, the nation of Israel is not the cause of the martyrs' deaths. Perhaps, then, these martyrs are from all the old covenant time period. But were not some of these nations already judged and punished? Through the history of Israel, the people of God had six main empiric foes—Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Of these, the first five had fallen. In other words, others had overthrown their empires—the typical means by which God’s judgment is shown to occur. Ezekiel 29:8-9 shows the sword coming to Egypt in judgment. The book of Nahum describes Assyria’s judgment. God would use Babylon to execute that judgment. We read in Daniel and Isaiah that God raised Cyrus and the Persians to inflict judgment on Babylon. We also read in Daniel that Alexander and Greece would be used to judge Persia and that Rome would be used to judge Greece. And the judgment of God had come to each of the first five. But at the time of the writing of Revelation, the Roman Empire still ruled the world. This empire had not yet felt God’s judgment.

Now notice the storyline amid these seals in Revelation 6. Israel was to be judged for their abominable practices in rejecting Christ but maintaining a sham of following God through continued old covenant sacrifice. God used the empire of Rome to bring desolation upon Israel. But the martyrs now ask, “When will Rome receive its judgment?” In other words, the martyrs question is: “God, you are using Rome to execute judgment on national Israel, but when are you going to execute judgment on Rome for their atrocities against us—your people?” And the answer given is that Rome’s judgment will come, but the martyrs must wait. Others of God’s people would still undergo persecution by Rome. And from our perspective we see that Christians were persecuted intensely by Rome, especially from 303 to 311—the time period known as the Great Persecution conducted by Diocletian and Galerius. Thus, with the understanding that the seal judgments refer to the AD 70 judgment on Israel, we have the best flowing, contextual explanation for the martyrs’ cry from under the altar.

The sixth seal is next. As Christ breaks it, we recognize all the terminology of judgment with which we have become familiar from both the Old and the New Testaments. Consider the following verses as you keep the image of the sixth seal in mind.

Isaiah 2:10, 18-21 Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty. And the idols shall utterly pass away. And people shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the Lord and from the splendor of his majesty.

Isaiah 13:10-13 (to Babylon) For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.

Isaiah 24:1-6 (to nations) Behold, the Lord will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor. The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the Lord has spoken this word. The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the highest people of the earth languish. The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.

Isaiah 34:4 (to nations) All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree.

Ezekiel 32:6-8 (to Egypt) I will drench the land even to the mountains with your flowing blood, and the ravines will be full of you. When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over you, and put darkness on your land, declares the Lord God.

Ezekiel 38:20 And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground.

Hosea 10:8 They shall say to the mountains, Cover us, and to the hills, Fall on us.

Joel 2:30-31 And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.

Mic 1:4 And the mountains will melt under him, and the valleys will split open, like wax before the fire.

Hab 3:6-11 He stood and measured the earth; he looked and shook the nations; then the eternal mountains were scattered; the everlasting hills sank low. His were the everlasting ways. I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord? Was your anger against the rivers, or your indignation against the sea, when you rode on your horses, on your chariot of salvation? You stripped the sheath from your bow, calling for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers. The mountains saw you and writhed; the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted its hands on high. The sun and moon stood still in their place at the light of your arrows as they sped, at the flash of your glittering spear. You marched through the earth in fury; you threshed the nations in anger. You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck.

Zech 4:7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain.

Matthew 24:15-16; 29 So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. … Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Luke 23:30 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

I’ve presented these passages for two reasons. First, they illustrate what normal biblical “judgment description” is. These judgments described are not judgments on the same people or nation; yet they sound similar. They contain typical judgment imagery. Because this same imagery has been used by God in describing judgment on nations already judged (e.g., Egypt, Babylon), we can expect similar results when God uses this imagery in Revelation. For Babylon, God said the stars, sun, and moon would be dark. This did not happen literally during God’s judgment of Babylon, but it did happen figuratively in that God’s displeasure can be described as darkness. And Babylon’s prospects under God’s displeasure may also be described as darkness. When John in Revelation says that the sun becomes dark in 6:12, we ought to be able to understand the same result for the judged people as we have read of those in the Old Testament. To insist on something more is not a legitimate treatment of Scripture.

And the second reason for these verses is to show their carryover into the New Testament, particularly to the two New Testament discussions of Jerusalem's destruction--Matthew 24 and Luke 23:30. In the plain teaching of the Gospels, Christ specifically ties this judgment terminology to Jerusalem's destruction. In Revelation 6, John applies it in the same manner.

Therefore, the opening of the sixth seal brings all the elements of the judgment seen in the previous seals in final realization for Israel.

Revelation (Part 17) - Chapter 5: The Scroll 5/19/09

Revelation 5 opens with God on the throne holding a scroll in his right hand. What this scroll contains is an important element in understanding much of the immediate context (chapters 5-7) and, in fact, the rest of Revelation. The seeming difficulty, however, is that we are never directly told what the scroll contains. Nevertheless, clues both from the action of chapter 5 and from the Old Testament should give us enough information to come to a confident conclusion.

The scroll is written on both the inside and the outside. Some commentators have mentioned that this was common—the message was rolled on the inside and the title or subject matter was written on the outside. Usually, in more formal documents, the title was not written on the outside, but on a tag, known in Greek as a sittybas, attached to the scroll. Through a printed mistake in a 1470 edition of one of Cicero’s letters, sittybas was written as syllabos, and from its perpetuation developed our English word syllabus. Additionally, if the common practice were to write the title or subject on the outside, it is hardly something that would have compelled John to make special mention of it. Rather than a title, the idea is that the scroll’s message filled both the inside and the outside, denoting that the message was fully complete, what was written was fully determined, nothing would be added.

The scroll is also sealed closed with seven seals. These seven seals are on the outside of the scroll. They are not, as some commentators have guessed, placed intermittently throughout the scroll dividing it into sections so that a portion may be read before breaking another seal. Historical records of this time period have provided us with examples of some legal documents (e.g., the wills of Augustus and Vespasian) that have been rolled and sealed with seven seals, so that practice was not unusual.

Looking back to the Old Testament, Zechariah gives us a clue as to the scroll’s contents from his prophetic imagery. In Zechariah 5 he begins, “Again I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll! And he [an angel] said to me, ‘What do you see?’ I answered, ‘I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.’ Then he said to me, ‘This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side.’” The flying scroll that Zechariah saw, then, is a document of judgment. That appears to fit well with our Revelation context since chapter 4 was full of judgment imagery. But as with other OT imagery that we have already seen used (e.g., Daniel’s four beasts and the “living creature” cherubim), John usually adjusts the images in some manner. Our context in Revelation 5 provides additional clues as to the scroll’s contents.

In verse 2, a strong angel sounds forth asking who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seven seals. For a moment, no one responds. This pause is an important emphasis and a clue to the contents of the document. After the pause, when it is clear that no one in heaven or earth is found worthy, John begins to weep. Obviously, John appears to know what is recorded in the scroll. His weeping would make little sense if he did not. But an elder tells John not to weep. There is one who is worthy. The worthy one is the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David. Note these titles. These titles assist in showing the worthiness of Christ. He is descended from Abraham through Judah; thus he has come fully through the old covenant system. More than that, he is the lion of the tribe of Judah—the conqueror. He has both kept and fulfilled the old covenants. He is the only one who has done so. His fulfillment of the old covenants has contributed to making him worthy to open the scroll. Additionally, he is the Root of David—the inheritor of the kingship of God’s people—the Messiah. The Messiah-King would save his people. Therefore, his position as king contributes to making him worthy to open the scroll.

Christ appears in the heavenly scene in verse 6. He is presented as a Lamb—standing although having been slain. By this image the display of his worthiness is complete. His titles told of his earthly heritage and covenant fulfillment. As a Lamb he portrays the sacrifice that he paid—the sinless one dying so that humankind could be redeemed. He owns the throne by right as Root of David and as conquering Messiah. He alone is worthy.

And from that worthiness, we understand more of the scroll. Only the Redeemer King is worthy to open it. Therefore, the scroll must contain not only judgment on the evil of the world (OT scroll picture) but also the effecting of restoration with the people of faith. The plan of God—in mind since creation—was to have a perfect love relationship with his people. That plan could not be fulfilled without a redeemer. That is why Christ is worthy to open the scroll presenting the fulfillment of God’s plan because he fulfilled the redemption requirement.

Notice what occurs immediately upon Christ’s taking the scroll from God. The cherubim fall down in worship. And the 24 elders fall down in worship. Who are these elders? Some commentators have guessed that they represent the 12 tribes of the old covenant and the 12 apostles of the New Covenant. The symmetry of that union is attractive, but does not present the complete picture. Many futurists argue that these elders represent the Church without reference to the OT saints. Still others see the priestly function of holding the bowls of incense as having OT connection. Perhaps the elders serve to satisfy more than one image. Their description and activity give us important clues.

When we first saw them in chapter 4, they were seated on thrones with crowns on their heads. We are now familiar with thrones and crowns picturing judgment. The elders worship God by casting their crowns before him. Thus, they recognize his authority and that they are but servants. When the Lamb takes the scroll, they immediately fall in worship. And they hold bowls of incense which are the prayers of the saints.

Again we will turn to the OT for clues. The priestly function presenting bowls of incense is a good place to start. We find in the old covenant, that the priest offered incense as part of the worship (Leviticus 2:2). The priest wore specific garments. Exodus 39:27 tells us that they had garments “woven of fine linen.” These were white linen robes. Verse 30 says that they had gold plates on the turban crowns that they wore. So we see these Aaronic priests wearing white garments with headdresses of gold, offering incense in their worship of God. In Revelation 4 and 5 we see elders wearing white garments with crowns of gold, offering incense in worship of God.

But why 24 elders? First Chronicles 24 recounts how David organized the Aaronic priesthood. Aaron had two (surviving) sons, Eliezar and Ithamar. Verses 3b-4 read: “David organized them according to the appointed duties in their service. Since more chief men were found among the sons of Eleazar than among the sons of Ithamar, they organized them under sixteen heads of fathers’ houses of the sons of Eleazar, and eight of the sons of Ithamar.” So the priesthood was organized into 24 divisions, providing a correlation to the 24 elders of Revelation.

This, then, provides a correspondence to the priestly function that we see the 24 elders perform. I believe there exists also a judicial function based on the throne and crown images. The Sanhedrin was a council of elders who acted as a ruling body in Israel. The Gospels and Acts record some activity of this council. At the time of Christ, the High Priest presided over the Sanhedrin, although that was not always historically so. No one knows for certain the time of origin of the Sanhedrin, but the Jews probably modeled the group according to the chosen elders who accompanied Moses and Aaron to the mountain in Exodus 24:1 and then were named as Moses’ helpers/judges in Numbers 11:16. Seventy elders of Israel sat in the Sanhedrin council headquartered in Jerusalem. This body had authority over religious, civil, and criminal activities, which authority, of course, the Roman dominion limited during the time of the empire. When the Sanhedrin met, they sat in a semi-circle so that all could see each other and the witnesses who stood before them.

The Sanhedrin functioned organizationally in three groups of 23 members each. For example, to adjudicate a criminal case, 23 elders sat in judgment with the president (high priest in the time of Christ) presiding. Thus, 23 elders plus the high priest equals 24, the same number as presented in Revelation 4-5.

When the Sanhedrin met that night about 2000 years ago after arresting Christ in the garden, they met with 23 elders and the high priest. These 24 accused, condemned, and rejected Christ. Note that this was at the mid-point of the 70th “week” of Daniel’s 70 week prophesy. In Daniel 9:26, we read that in the middle of the 70th week, the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing. The priests and leaders of the Jews did exactly that to Christ. And for their rejection, desolation was determined for Jerusalem and Israel as a nation.

What is the time period in Revelation 4 and 5? Notice the angel cried out, “Who is worthy?” And Christ appears as a Lamb slain. This scene comes immediately after Christ’s ascension to heaven. He has accomplished redemption. He ascends to his Father. He takes the scroll. And when he does so, this heavenly assembly of elders, unlike their earthly counterparts, recognize Christ’s worth, declaring “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth” (5:9-10). Who are the 24 elders? I believe they are representative of the redeemed church of God—those from all of earth’s history who are God’s through faith. These 24 elders are presented as priests (bowls of incense) and rulers (crowns and thrones). And they declare in verse 10 that the redeemed are priests that will reign.

So, the stage has been set. We know the place—heaven. We know the time—just after Christ’s ascension. We know the mood—pending judgment. We know the actors—God on the throne, the conquering Lamb, the enforcing cherubim, and the judicious elders. We even know the basic plot—the revelation of the scroll, the plan of God’s restoration and triumph. The Lamb, the only one worthy, holds the scroll and prepares to open it by breaking its seals. These are the basics of the storyline so far. We are about to be swept into a world of fantastic images and action. If we are to succeed in understanding what God has for us here, we must maintain a secure, strong hold on the basics. If we let those slip from our grasp, we are lost. Letting go will cast us into the rapids amid the literally hundreds of other interpretations clamoring for attention.

The very first point is incredibly important. As Christ breaks open the first seal, pull your attention back for a moment from the resultant image/action and focus on the scroll. Did it open? Christ did break a seal, but remember that 7 seals bind this scroll. We see no more revelation of the scroll after the breaking of the first seal than we did prior to breaking it. The image and action that result from the breaking of the seal is not part of what the scroll has to reveal. So what is taking place here? We will see four horsemen gallop forth in the names of conquest, violence, famine, and death. But it is not part of the New Covenant triumph or God’s final judgment on the world. We will see those things within the scroll, but we are not yet there.

Remember the scene and the timing. Christ has just entered heaven after his ascension from earth where the nation of Israel formally rejected him. This is the time of the transition from old covenant to New. We know that at this time the apostles, the foundation of the church, take the Gospel message—what they learned from Christ—to the world. From Daniel’s prophecy and Christ’s words in Matthew 23 and 24, we also know the rejection of Christ by Israel as a nation will lead to the desolation of the temple and Jerusalem. That desolation symbolizes God’s rejection of the nation of Israel in favor of God’s New Covenant which identifies his people as all those of faith. So we know these transitional elements take place. So did the people of John’s day who were the original recipients of this letter. The breaking of the seals would not make them look to the future, nor should it make us do so. In the breaking of the seals—before the plan of God for restoration and judgment is opened, revealed, and explained—we see the transition from old covenants to New. We see the apostolic age and the rejection of Israel.

Let’s examine the seals carefully now. Christ breaks the first one. Immediately, one of the cherubim says, “Come!” To whom is the cherub speaking? The KJV implies that it is speaking to John by including the words “and see.” But the “and see” is not included in the best manuscripts either of the Byzantine (majority) family or the Alexandrian (oldest) family. But because the words (in Greek) show up in the Stephens (or Stephanus) 1550 Textus Receptus, they were included in the King James Version translated from the Textus Receptus. Most scholars, however, agree that the “Come!” ordered by the cherub is a call to the horse and rider to appear, and thus, the cherub is not just a personal tour guide for John, but acts (as the cherubim acted in Ezekiel) to bring about the judgment.

The cherub calls forth a rider on a white horse. Many commentators have equated this rider on the white horse with the Christ of Revelation 19 who comes forth riding a white horse wearing many crowns. However, although the color matches, the presentation of majesty does not. Some commentators have noted the differences and decided that the seal 1 rider is not Christ but rather the antichrist, deceiving the world into thinking he is a force for good. However, nothing but conjecture leads us to that identification. Based on the contextual clues we have been given concerning time, place, and purpose, this first rider appears to represent the Gospel in its apostolic spread from Jerusalem to the known world. Although white may be used at times in a negative sense in the OT, it is always an indication of purity in the New. The rider goes forth “conquering and to conquer.” This is an appropriate description of the apostles’ work with the Gospel. Surely we see here this first element of the transition from the old covenants to the New Covenant.