Daily Bread for Dec 28, Rev 13-16

Today’s readings are Rev 13-16.

Rev 13 speaks of the era between Christ being seated on the throne and His return. Satan (the dragon) wages war on the woman (Israel and the church), during this time. However, the dragon remains subject to the authority of God in all he does (Rev 13:5-7).

Rev 14 is an encouragement to believers, who are blameless, for not aligning themselves with the beast (Rev 14:5). The faithful ones will be rewarded when they are taken up into heaven.

Rev 15-16 describe the seven cups of wrath, which are like the seven trumpets and the seven seals, but far more severe. While the trumpets and seals were used by God to call people to repentance, the cups are the unbridled wrath of God being poured out on those who have rejected Him and embraced the beast.

"The mark of the beast" is mentioned in Rev 16:2. This is another warning that has frequently been misunderstood and misinterpreted. Whatever physical form this mark may take, it will be consciously received in commitment and surrender to the beast. Many fear that using a credit card, a microchip or even things like the Euro can inadvertently bring eternal damnation upon a believer. This simply isn't true. The mark John describes is not just a monetary system. It is the willful, conscious rejection of God while embracing Satan. The mark cannot be inadvertently received. It comes as a decision to follow Satan.

Read these chapters carefully. Notice that the events described are not possibilities nor are they conjecture. They are depicted as having already occurred. While they remain in the future, the outcome of all this battling and war in the heavenly realm has a foregone conclusion. God remains in control of everything throughout. Satan is not God's opposite nor is he God’s equal. He is a created being functioning under the sovereign authority and power of God and will be held accountable for every evil deed he does. This is true of the end times. But, it is true today as well.

Daily Bread for Dec 27, Rev 9-12

Today’s readings are Rev 9-12.

In Rev 9, having blown the trumpets, the angels are the heralds of the living God, pronouncing His judgment on the world. Notice that, as the woes are released, they are subject to God’s authority who limits them as to what they may do. Meanwhile, God’s children are protected from the trial and suffering the woes bring (Rev 9:4).

The first four trumpets affect a part of the world but not all. Judgment is being poured out. Justice is being served. But, there is still time for those who remain to repent and be saved.

God is in sovereign control of all that is occurring. He is orchestrating the events at the end of history with the same precision and power that He has been exercising throughout the Bible from the beginning of Genesis (Rev 10:7-11).

We see God’s accuracy and precision in the measurements prescribed in Rev 11:1-3 which shows us that God is omniscient down to the slightest detail. His omnipotence is on display in Rev 11:4-14).

Rev 12 depicts war in the heavenlies between "the woman" and "the dragon," both of which are symbolic. The woman is a sign of God's goodness and sovereign authority and the dragon a symbol of pure evil. The dragon loses and is ejected from heaven. These signs, whatever earthly counterparts they may or may not represent, are also representative of all spiritual warfare. The battle may be fierce but will be dominated and controlled by the power and presence of God.

Notice that God preserves and protects His people throughout (Rev 12:6, 14). Also, notice that the woman's baby, who is Christ, soundly defeats the dragon once He is seated on the throne. This is a depiction of Christ's ascension into heaven shortly after the resurrection, where He was "seated at the right hand of God." (Eph 1:20). This is not to say that all spiritual battle ceased at that point. But, it certainly guarantees that the outcome has been predetermined.

Daily Bread for Dec 26, Rev 4-8

Today’s readings are Rev 4-8.

Rev 4 sets the stage for heightened suffering for the church at the hand of the world in which they exist. These chapters also portray the coming judgment of the Lamb upon the world and all those who would cause His bride to suffer. God is sovereign over all that happens and is pictured as seated on His throne, surrounded by His divine delegation. The book of judgment is opened by Christ, the only One able to do so, for He is the One who was slain. This is the final judgment that will fall upon those who reject Him. All heaven rejoices and worships Him. He judges those who refuse Him.

Rather than looking at these events as some future occurrence, we should see them as the ongoing process of God refining His church, preparing it for glory.  The suffering and persecution have been happening all along, as has the gradual falling away of some. Yet, God is gracious and "walks among His lampstands" faithful to prepare them for this coming battle and the victory He has already guaranteed His children.

Rev 5 depicts Christ seated at the right hand of God and wielding authority and power. He is the only worthy one and reads from the scroll before opening each of seven seals.

As the seven seals are broken, and the four horsemen are unleashed, notice that it is Christ who is in charge of all.

There are many interpretations of what the seven seals represent and who the horsemen are. Looking at the language seems to suggest the horsemen represent the gamut of human lust gone wild. This runs contrary to what many of us have learned about these symbols. Carefully considered and removed from overly-speculative applications, the idea that they are the four attributes of an unbridled and unholy mankind plays well into the fallen state of the world and the true nature of human beings apart from Christ. If this is true, then Christ, when He begins to open the seals, leaves men to their own devices and the impact it has on the world is disastrous. Once again, this is one interpretation among many. Take a quick overview and see if it rings true to you.

If this is accurate, it lends a new meaning to each of the horses and their riders. The rider on the white horse represents humankind setting itself up as a conquering king, taking the place of God, opposing Him, displaying a lust for conquest and power.

The rider on the red horse represents men battling against themselves, fighting each other for control of that power. Civil war breaks out all over the world as mankind struggles first with God and then with each other.  Peace is taken away.

The rider on the black horse represents the effects of all that war, sorrow, grief and mourning. There is also considerable suffering that follows the wars. Famines and shortages of necessary goods follow, causing more grief and suffering.

The rider on the pale (light green) horse represents disease and death, the aftermath of the famines and shortages. Many die.

The fifth seal is a plea for justice on behalf of those martyred for the sake of Christ. They have been the innocent victims of mankind left to its own self-centered, godless desires. The martyrs cry out and pray. They must wait for their justice, but it will surely come.

The sixth seal is a sign that the end is very near. There is a shaking of the earth, signs in the heavens and mountains crumbling. This may be a description of future events, but it is more probably John telling us the stage has already been set for the final battle. The shaking and the signs have been with us for quite some time as have wars and their rumors. Perhaps there will be an escalation of these things just before the battle. Perhaps not. Either way, John tells us, the church should not despair because we have the promise of heaven. Those who do not believe only have judgment to look forward to. 

Rev 8 begins with the seventh seal and silence. There is an indication that this is the mark of the end of history. Before describing it fully, we hear about the seven trumpets in the hands of seven angels, perhaps representing the prayers of the of the martyrs for justice to be served. The first four angels wreak utter devastation and suffering on those who have rejected the Lamb. This level of tribulation for those who have rebelled against God is terrifying. It was foreshadowed by the violent way Joshua took the promised land and is a somber warning to those who turn their back on the gospel.

Daily Bread for Dec 25, Rev 1-3

Today’s readings are Rev 1-3.

Revelation brings the narrative arc of the Bible to its climactic ending. The story began in the Garden with God declaring everything "good" except for man to be alone. Adam falls into sin, evil enters into the creation and the storyline of the entire Bible becomes a documentary of how God will redeem His children through the sacrifice of His only Son, reconciling them to Himself and restoring everything back to "good."

Revelation can be cryptic and hard to interpret. Perhaps the best way to read it is to look at the big picture rather than trying to discern the meaning of all the math, the significance of the symbols and the determining present-day equivalents of countries, kings and leaders mentioned. In the end, Revelation tells us God is victorious and His kingdom is established for all eternity in a new heaven and a new garden (the new earth). The result is a new creation that exceeds the old one in every way.

Revelation was written by John in the later years of the first century. It is expressly written as the words of Christ to seven churches.

The first chapters start out with an affirmation of Christ. They describe letters written to each of seven churches. It would be a mistake to think the messages to the churches are unique to those churches and have no application to us. The seven churches are a diverse lot, representing all possible flavors of churches that comprise the body of Christ. As such, they have their parallels in today’s church as well.

By the near-end of the first century, regardless of seeing all the miracles and hearing all the phenomenal teaching of Christ and the apostles, the new church has fallen into some of the same traps into which the Jews had fallen. A few churches are doing OK, a few more are struggling and a few more are stumbling. One, Laodicea, seems to have wholly shut Christ out of their services. The familiar passage about Jesus standing at the door and knocking (Rev 3:20) is not a gospel invitation as many understand it to be. The door Jesus is knocking on is not the oft-depicted door of a lost soul’s heart. It is the door of the church! Jesus is saying, “You’ve left me out of your services! Is anyone listening? Open the door and bring me back in!” Could there be a better representation of the state of some churches today?

Still, the churches, despite their shortcomings are proclaimed the "lampstands" (Rev 1:12-13) and Christ walks among them, a sign of the faithfulness of God, even when His church is struggling. There is a clear warning that suffering is on the way for all the churches, not due to their failure, but because it is part of His plan for the last days, which we are in presently and have been since the ascension of Christ (Rev 3:10-13).

Despite its weaknesses, shortcomings and oppression, we should see that the church survives to the end. It will not fade away or die. It is not threatened by outside and ungodly forces that would like to see it vanish. The culture may ignore it, even attempt to be rid of it. God will preserve it. We know this is true because it survives until the end-times as we see in these chapters.

Daily Bread for Dec 24, 2 Jhn, 3 Jhn, Jude

Today’s readings are 2 Jhn, 3 Jhn, Jude

2 Jhn is yet another warning against false teaching. It seems that most of the errant teaching the church struggles with, regardless of where it originates, arises from within the church in some manner. This short note warns against extending hospitality to those who were spreading false teaching.

There's a lesson buried in here. True, Christian fellowship will be based on a shared, sound doctrine. The unity of the church is based on Christ and the accurate and faithful teaching of the word of God. Anyone extending hospitality to those who oppose that teaching is housing a threat to that unity.

This is not to say we should never have unbelievers in our home. John is saying we should not house and care for false teachers as they are a danger to the church.

Many godly churches and denominations may not agree on the non-essentials of the faith. It’s OK. They each have their own distinctives. These distinguishing markers should never interfere with our unity on the essentials. So long as we can agree on the foundational essentials of the faith, there should be a mutual respect, even prayer for each other. Having differences in non-essential doctrines is not the same as the division false teaching can generate. The only means of determining the difference between false teaching and denominational distinctives is to be intimately familiar with the Scriptures and objective about what are the essential teachings for salvation.

3 Jhn commends those who extend hospitality to Christian missionaries and teachers. Taken together with 2 John, it is clear that, to avoid false teaching and division in the church, believers should practice love and discernment, encouraging support of godly teachers and avoiding that of false teachers.

Jude is like 2 Peter. It carries the now-familiar warning against false teaching and false teachers. The biggest threat to the church is the easy slide away from the gospel call that can come from not knowing the Bible well enough to identify false teaching. Jude urges us to love the false teachers and try to reason with them but not to fall victim to their teachings.

Notice that the teaching of the apostles has matured. Whereas the earlier teaching was centered on sorting out doctrinal and procedural matters, this latter teaching, most of it coming in the second half of the first century, focuses on walking out the Christian life and evaluating what teaching to receive or reject. As we move toward the end of the New Testament, the word of God sets an expectation for the church to become more discerning, the keep its eyes on Christ and to counter opposition with a mature understanding of who Christ is accompanied by a high view of Scripture. 

In short, Jesus has ascended, the Holy Spirit has been poured out, the basics have been taught. Now it is time for the church to become the messenger of truth and exemplar of unity it is designed to be.