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CHAPTER 7
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SCENARIO IN REVELATION 10-20
THE SEQUENCE AND SAVOUR OF THE END
There is an edifying feature and phase concerning the latter part of the Book of Revelation. There is a recommissioning of John to write from God concerning many nations, a seventh trumpet pre-announced before it sounds, to usher in the finale of prophecy, there is the glorious ascription of what that will be like (Rev. 11:15), and then the trumpet actually sounds, From this point, the book proceeds to a series of finales, rather reminiscent of different parts of an orchestra coming in for crowd applause after some great musical event, the conductor, the singers of renown, the orchestra and possibly some others. It is sign-off time, perhaps with a verbal coverage of some kind.
So here. You have a Church on Earth finale as it goes Rev. 11), a Christ advent and departure miniaturised in coverage (Rev. 12), to give place to an overview, a finale in glimpsing the oppressive pseudo-kingdom in its last inglorious spasms. Perhaps in its time, for many present, it is felt as if were omnipotent, omnipresent, but in this Chapter, it appears merely like a photograph of an aircraft about to be doomed, as anticipation builds, the result pre-known. Indeed, such is prophetic accuracy, that it almost looms like a TV depiction of the flight of a plane in its majestic fluency through the heights, before its sudden crash, of which viewers have already heard.
Prophecy has that degree of certainty. In Rev. 15, you have a sight of heaven as the finale is finished in its own scenario, and an account of the devastating series of vast plagues, as in 16:18, one focussed also in Haggai and Hebrews 12, in a momentous awakening rebuke. There is a huge SHAKING of the earth, as if a teacher were to shake a sedulously somnolent student. This aspect, we learn, resembles the removal of what is temporary, temporal, decidedly NOT eternal and the continuation of what is..
Thus in this array of aspects, you find if you will, the nature of Act V, the Finale Act, the ultimate array for the termination. It is not a matter of the doom and the gloom of the end of the world, as if a mood were to come, but of what is like the end of the family car after much use and abuse, say at the age of 30. Its end has long been coming and the precise elements in its loss and departure are now carefully traced as we proceed through Rev.10-20. Even the early heresy of Romanism, which occupied world power militarily with association with kings, is given its tableau, and its nature is revealed without qualification in preparation for the extended depiction of the divine judgment on such distortions and tortures both of truth and of persons (Rev. 17:5-6,18:1-8).
Then, with judgment itself finished (Rev. 18-19), the all things new of conversion and regeneration spiritually, is paralleled with the new heavens and earth, and what had lodged within becomes enabled in its new, resurrected body, in its replaced heaven and earth (as in II Peter 3) and in its irreplaceable closeness to Christ (Rev. 21:22). As Christ declared, heaven and earth would PASS AWAY, but His words would not.
Part of the loveliness of it is this, that right to the very end, he who thirsts is freely seen to be offered the water of life freely, to meet thirst (Rev. 21:6). In other words, this is the marvel of mercy throughout, the motif extraordinaire, the underlying reality of Him who delights in mercy. This terminal series, just surveyed, is not a depiction of One who loves to dominate, but to save; and where truth and right, light and reality are to be, whatever can be rescued, among persons made in the image of God and with responsibility, not mere machinery, will be. Indeed there is a liberality of desire and a penetration of kindness, so that the dismissive phases are met not in malignancy, but despite mercy, itself grievously rejected despite the enormous cost of providing it - not by God but by man refusing the cover.
REVELATION 10-20 SELECTIVE AND SOVEREIGN SIGN-OFF SERIES
Let us ponder in a little more detail.
You have Revelation 10 where the 7th trumpet is announced with its finale function, and John like Ezekiel is commissioned to eat this time words in a little book concerning coming, commissioned testimony concerning many nations and tongues; then various reviews and dismissive scenarios. Thus Rev. 11 has the call of the Church under the guise of the two witnesses, its ascension or rapture, the sounding of the seventh trumpet with this finale, for indeed now they are GONE; and fittingly, the glorious announcement of 11:15, encapsulating the coming glory from which we see it as from a hill as we approach a city.
Revelation 12 shows a review of the birth of the Messiah through Israel with its 12 tribes, the chosen element to cite, the devil's hungry anticipation as shown in history both in Herod's grab to slaughter kids in hope of netting this one, incarnate and divine, and his pursuit of those who obey the commandments, actual Christians in their Messianic domain (that indicated at the outset of this Chapter). In Rev. 13 we see the epitome of devilish world rule in process, facing culmination with total financial control, in Rev. 14 there appears the beautiful contrast of many who had never worshipped amiss in those heated times, and those whose fate is sketched who succumb to beast worship. Moreover we see the reaping at this level commanded, and the grapes of wrath exhibit their rising red flow.
In Revelation 15-16, we come first to special observation of the degree of offence in heaven itself, and the coming deluge to follow, reminding us that when it is a matter of offence, there is LAW involved and not feeling only, and there is GOD involved when offence as such is to be cited as ground of condemnation, a useful lesson for Australia still in the grip of a humanistic law, the famed 18 c), in a violation so crucial of liberty to express the rational, supported, true and just, making this subordinate to human feeling, whatever its source, cause or casuistry of plea. Whatever its intention, it is a provision for corruption and for the sale of the soul. In terms of this law, much may many suffer for a refusal to participate in that sale, whatever the cost. It is interesting that this very day, in The Australian we find a report of Professor Gillian Triggs, Human Rights Commissioner: "Gone are the days when we could say, 'How dare Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Libya, criticize Australia's human rights record."
In Revelation 17 there is to be seen the famed power and corruption of Babylon, identified as the city of seven hills in its spurious worship and world movement. She is seen in traditional posture as affecting kings like a rider on the beast, her massive death toll, epitomised in ancient Babylon so cursed by Jeremiah and translated to the ways of academia with its modern militant naturalism; but a sudden development is shown. The kings toss her off. Long domination or dominion, is rapped; they are no longer rapt, for she is a burden!
indeed the coming centrality of the new Club of Kings appears no longer to want, indeed even to tolerate the ways of Rome and its multi-partite religiosity, authoritatively despatched. As a religious massif, corrupt and politically intrusive into world ways (called "harlot" and more, in Rev. 17:5), Romanism is tossed off the beast. 10 kings have decided: It is enough! and wanting the beast and its religious aide, the second beast, to have free domain in utter corruption, replete with false prophets (Rev. 16), it acts.
This represents a huge change and a vast evacuation, of power ? yes but also of place, for Revelation 18 specialises, and gives it this momentous terminus to decline. There is the fire to destroy Rome, or its religious centre, in one hour. It is so predicted. Rev. 18 shows the enormous economic impact this has, the grief of many at loss of privilege, and the experience as a shattering disaster. Put differently, it is like a tooth extraction from the mouth of the world. Such is the biblical depiction here.
From this we turn to Revelation 19 where the Church having been seen in its glorious heavenly association with Christ (19:8) appears set to come WITH Him (having come to Him as in Revelation 11). This appears in Rev. 19:11 cf. I Thess. 3:13, as He conquers the beast, devil, false prophet, the confrontational armies, in a vast overthrow. So terminates the evil business of many centuries. The Lord consigns the very devil for a thousand years, as the millenium*1 comes for all who have escaped the mark of the beast which has been throughout the ages, in this or that form, and in essence back to the beginning where the thoughts of Satan were successful in rebellion and murder. Whatever has not had this expunged, it is there, its leader chopped off for the long recess, abiding in imprisonment.
Thus this millenium comes at this precise phase of history, as announced in the sequence in Revelation. The angel as in Rev. 20 came down to the pit in the wake of the confrontation of Rev. 19, and thus the victory gained, there is the incarceration of what has just been judged; and he, the evil one, troubles the nations no more UNTIL this thousand year period is finished (very possibly the time symbolic, as in much of Revelation in time matters, and the form of depiction of some others - Department of Bible... , Vol. 2, Ch. 10). Imaginative modes of depiction, however, are not to be confused with rebellious modes of rejection. Imagery is not to deny the point, but to drive it deeper into the heart.
When God
speaks some will not listen because of some variety of theology; and that
is a privilege to which, as an interpreter of the word of God, one does not have,
so we have to leave them alone in this.
Finally, we come to the realm foretold in Rev. 11, when the kingdoms of this world become those of Christ, and the action of Satan upon release crushed (reminiscent now of Napoleon's issuance from Elba), judgment ensures with the two books, that of life and that of works, the latter being always inadequate for release, but rather instead, correlative to ruin (cf. Titus 3, Romans 3, Galatians 3, 5). Indeed, now is time for a new heavens and earth as in II Peter 3, for quite simply no place is found for the old any more (as with an old car cf. Isaiah 51:6); but in this case, it is a vastly misused one. Its release and the reality of the new are exposed in Rev. 21:3 following with that delicious relief and restoration for the saints, where even pain is no more.
NOTE
The millenium is here biblically named, given address and both cited and sited. It is identified in sequence, in specifications, in dynamics, in unique features, and to dismiss it or displace it or remould it is merely a work of intrusion, or disruption, or corruption. The question of arithmetic is dealt with elsewhere, and the parallels with Psalm 72, Isaiah 65, Micah 4 and Isaiah 2 are of course pertinent is any assemblage of characteristics.
To understand its nature is thus a privilege; but to dismiss its reality is a presumption regarding an expression of the word of God in which the very Master of souls makes it clear that the smallest of conveyances of comprehension is not negotiable, so that the word of God is like a cheque, which we might think to 'interpret', but no part of which is available for change, though it must be read in its own language (Matthew 5:17-20). It goes to the bank full or not at all. If rejected, it does not alter the intent of the offeror, and in this case, it is the receiver who loses out, not the payment; for it is to all who DO receive it that the blessings come. Here is a citadel and a moat. They do not move because armies of assault move. God can neither be outfoxed nor intimidated, nor cajoled nor turned aside.
See on this field:
Sparkling Life ... Ch. 10,
Department of Bible... , Vol. 2, Ch. 10,
News 124 (overview of relevant -isms);Little Things 9, 10, Outrageous Outages... Ch. 11 (preliminary),
The Biblical Workman Ch. 1, p. 20 (moderation has many marvels),
SMR Appendix A, pp. 502ff., 750Bff., 727ff., 732Bff.,The Holocaust of Morality Ch. 4,
Light of Dawn Ch. 6 (at Problems of Changing),
News 45, Part 2 (limits of fidelity on licence to change);
A Spiritual Potpourri Chs. 17, 18 (disentangling furs),
SMR Chs. 8- 9 expository reference, );
Little Things Ch. 1; Galloping Events Ch. 8 esp. *1.
See further main index on this field, which holds much more.