The Mystery of God Revealed In Symbols

As we move deeper into John's Revelation it is increasingly difficult to believe that he writes in symbolical language. He seems to be writing a prophecy about certain actual, physical events that are  about to happen. And yet, as we move to the seventh angel and the sounding of the seventh trumpet everything appears to be more symbolical than ever. The series of seven trumpets parallels the series of seven seals (Rev. 6:1-8:1). In that series the first six seals deal with the unbelieving enemies of Christ and His church. Ultimately we read that the great ones of the earth will face the wrath of the Lamb. Then as the seventh seal is opened the promised salvation for the great multitude appears. They who come out of the great tribulation will never hunger nor thirst anymore and the Lamb will guide them to springs of living water (Rev. 7:9-17).

So it is in the series of seven trumpets. The first six speak about destruction and death coming upon the enemies of God. The earth is burned up, mountains are thrown into the sea, creatures and ships are destroyed, the waters become bitter wormwood, stars turn dark and all sorts of horrible beasts come pouring out of the abyss, bringing destruction and death. But now we come to the seventh angel who is about to sound the seventh trumpet as the mystery of God is fulfilled. Here is a mystery to be fulfilled, a mystery announced previously by the prophets, a revelation of God's mercy for all of his children.

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a

Remember God's Rainbow

cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down." And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. - Rev 10:1-7 ESV

John gazes upon this magnificent angel-messenger whose face is lit by the ancient rainbow-sign of God's grace and mercy as revealed after the great flood (Gen. 9:13-17). John is forbidden by the voice from heaven to write down what the seven thunders have said, but nevertheless something wonderful will be fulfilled when the seventh angel sounds the seventh trumpet. It is the mystery announced earlier to God's people through his servants, the prophets. And what is it? John discovers this as he obeys and eats the little scroll handed to him by this mighty angel. It is sweet as honey and bitter to his stomach.

And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. And I was told, "You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings." - Rev 10:10-11 ESV  

 This is a mystery to be revealed for many peoples, nations, languages and rulers. It is a message from the eternal Creator of heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in it. It is a message both sweet and bitter. But sweet for whom and bitter for whom? And when will the fullness of this message be revealed? Only when the final seventh trumpet is sounded.

So we turn to chapter 11 of The Revelation and struggle to resist the temptation again to make the mystery a literal rather than a symbolical prophecy. We will struggle against the temptation to think that we can find the literal meaning of the temple of God, 2 olive trees, 2 lamp-stands,  42 months, 1,260 days, 3 ½ days, 24 elders and 7,000 people killed. But if we resist such the symbols will open a rich message of salvation, grace and mercy indeed. So on to Rev. 11 in the next post.

The Wormwood Star

As we open Chapter 8 of The Revelation we are still observing events in heaven. The Lamb is opening the seventh and final seal and the seven angels prepare to blow the seven trumpets as the prayers of the saints rise before God with much incense. What does it mean that thunder, lightning and earthquakes now rage upon the earth as the censer is thrown down?

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. - Rev 8:1-5 ESV

Great destruction and death now follow as one trumpet after the other is blown by an angel. The earth is scorched and burned, a third of the sea creatures die and a third of the ships on the sea are destroyed. Then a great star falls from heaven, blazing like a torch to fall on a third of the rivers and springs. And the name of the star is Wormwood! What is wormwood?

Solomon warns his son about the lips of a strange, forbidden women. Oh be discrete and guard your lips, he urges. Her lips drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood and sharp as a two-edged sword (Pro 5:1-6). Wormwood? Like hemlock, wormwood is poisonous, noxious and bitter (Deut 29:18; Jer 9:15; 23:15; Lam 3:15, 19, Amos 5:7).

C.S. Lewis' well-known The Screwtape Letters, has a senior demon named Screwtape write 31 letters to his nephew, Wormwood. This demon is young and inexperienced. He must be guided in his work of tempting his assignee toward "Our Father Below" (Satan) and away from "the Enemy" (God). Thus Wormwood is used symbolically by Lewis. For us as well,  it is wise to avoid assigning a literal meaning to the star falling from heaven. Some have tried, obviously to pinpoint Wormwood with the Huns' campaign in Europe or the heretics Arius or Pelagius. In modern times various scenarios of comets about to crash on the earth are supposedly confirmed by NASA, etc. Such attempts confirm nothing other than to remind us that the spiritual enemies of the Lamb are able to cause much sorrow, bitterness and death on the earth. They will not prevail.

In my next post we'll move on to what happens when the next four angels blow their trumpets. In the meantime be very cautions about knowing precisely what the Wormwood Prophecy means, as reported on various YouTube or Apocalyptic websites.

Do Not Be Surprised When You Are Persecuted

Five seals of the scroll with seven seals (Rev. 5:1) have been opened by the Lamb. From the first four came the terrible Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. With the opening of the fifth the martyrs under the heavenly temple's altar cry out to the Sovereign Lord for vengeance. When will the Lord punish those who have murdered His beloved disciples? Be patient, He says and watch. Here comes the opening of the sixth seal.

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" - Rev 6:12-17 ESV

Scripture in the light of 1st century history

These are classical images from the prophets about the LORD's fierce anger loosed upon proud sinners. The sun, moon and stars will turn dark on the great and terrible day of the LORD.

Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. 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. - Isa 13:9-10 ESV 

Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders. - Isa 24:23 ESV 

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. - Eze 32:7-8 ESV

The Lord Jesus Himself foretold the persecution of his disciples. They were to be on guard for councils will condemn them, He warned, and they will stand before rulers to bear witness. And the gospel must be proclaimed to all nations (Mark 13:9-27). To speak of those events He borrowed the fearful symbolical language of prophets:

"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. - Mar 13:24-27 ESV

The martyred saints beneath the altar are comforted as they hear about what was to happen to the seemingly invincible rulers of the earth's mighty nations.

So on to the opening of the seventh and final seal and the sealing of the great multitude, the 144,000, from every tribe of the sons of Israel. More on that in the next post.

And the application of this Word to all who believe in the Lord Jesus? Don't be surprised when the children of this world hate you and persecute you. Expect it. That is exactly what they did to our Lord Himself. Listen to words from the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 4:1-19).

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 

For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does. The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. . .  

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. . .  

. . . if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And "If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" (Proverbs 11:31) Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. - 1Pe 4:1-19 ESV

(A final note to this posting: The picture above is from a group of that teaches the Preterist View of the end times. Preterism denies that Revelation is a prophecy about the future. My readers may want to study that view, among the many interpretations of Revelation. As a Christian committed to the Lutheran Confessions of 1530, I must reject it. I'll have more to say about that in future postings.)