Sleeping Through Storms

God is not all-powerful—at least, not in the ways we define power.

For most of us, power means that we get our way. Power means that we can impose our will upon the world around us. Power means we can conform others into our images in order to achieve unity and security. In our minds, we equate power with control.

So, when the world spins out of control as it did in Oklahoma, and at the Boston marathon, and at Sandy Hook Elementary School something over six months ago, we begin to wonder what happened to this all-powerful God to whom the skies and seas and nations are supposed to bow.

Are the heavens really declaring the majesty of God when a tornado destroys an entire town? 

Only the most deranged and pathological of leaders suggested in tragedy and disaster’s wake that God was in control of the situation or was somehow, ultimately, responsible for such occurrences. I’m sorry, but I don't believe that shootings, terrorist acts and tornadoes are part of God’s plan! 

Most of us can admit that without losing our faith, just like we can admit that God isn’t really calling the shots (no pun intended) when it comes to bullets, bombs, jet streams, weather patterns and 200-mile-per-hour winds. What we imply in this, but don’t often say, is that, deep down, we know God is not in control. Secretly, we give thanks for that. 

Naturally, we then ask where exactly God is in the midst of tragedy and suffering. This question doubles as an unconscious prayer of thanksgiving and relief. While we may feel desolation and alienation from God in the midst of great tragedies and natural disasters, we also feel grateful—hopeful, even—that God isn’t orchestrating all the pain and destruction in the world. It’s a relief not to be worshipping a God who sends tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, disease, and plague. It’s a relief not to pray to a God who indiscriminately kills children with the same heavens which declare God’s glory.

God is not in control of the weather. I don't believe God is in the business of controlling anything.

But if God isn’t in control in the midst of such destruction, then who or what is? Something more sinister? Maybe something more dangerous than a sinister being? Perhaps no one—and nothing—is in control. It’s a scary and disorienting thought to begin to consider God isn’t protecting us like the divine Secret Service from the suffering and tragedy in our world.

We find this idea jarring because I think we misunderstand what divine power is. God doesn’t control the weather, because that isn’t the nature of God’s power. God’s power is something more mysterious, more paradoxical.

God’s power is in the giving up of power, in the act of disarming divine omnipotence in favor of covenant and relationship with creation.

God’s power is in the act of becoming empty (Gk. kenosis) in order to become one of us. As Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-8:

Christ Jesus … who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.

God’s power is in being in us and with us, not as all-powerful and “up there” somewhere.

In the gospel of John, Jesus tells us that when we see him, we see God. There’s a popular saying based on that notion, suggesting that the radical nature of the Christian faith is not that Jesus is like God, but that God is like Jesus. And Jesus is in the business of emptying himself of power to the point of utter alienation and forsakenness by God. So what if God is indeed like Jesus?

But, you might argue, there’s a story in the gospels about Jesus and his power to control the weather, and it’s true—there is such a legend. Once upon a time, as the writer of Mark tells us, a terrible storm rises on the sea, threatening to swamp the disciples and the boat they are in. They are terrified, undone at the prospect of capsizing and drowning. They are baling water from the boat, struggling with wind-whipped sails, hanging on for their lives.

Jesus, meanwhile, is sleeping.

“Don’t you care that we are perishing?” the disciples finally shout at him to wake him.

Jesus rebukes the wind and commands it to quiet down. As the text says, “He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm (Mk 4:39).

Jesus is rebuking the disciples as much as the storm when he says, “Peace! Be still!” Then they marvel at his power, asking, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mk 4:41). 

We are like the disciples. We want God to calm the wind and seas. We want to shout, "God, what’s the matter with you? Don’t you see we are perishing? Don’t you see so many of us — children, even! — have already perished? Wake up, God! Stop sleeping when we need you most!”

Like the disciples, we believe the power—the divine—is in the ability to control things. We assume, like the disciples, that the miracle is in Jesus rebuking and calming the storm.

But if you notice, Jesus doesn’t seem to want to do anything. He wants to keep sleeping! He goes so far as to rebuke his disciples for even asking for his help. He calls them faithless. This storm-calming power is the kind of power Jesus came in order to give up, to empty himself of. It’s the same power he rejects when he refuses to throw himself from the pinnacle when he is tempted in the desert. It’s the same power he turns down when he refuses to kneel before the Adversary. It’s that same superficial power that controls earthly things.

I don’t really think the miracle in this story is about Jesus calming the storm and taking control. The miracle in this story is that Jesus is there, with the disciples in the water-logged and weather-beaten boat, experiencing the same terrible storm, the same terrible waves, and the same terrible danger, and that alone should have been enough.

God’s power isn’t in the control of creation or of people, but in being in covenant and relationship with them. It isn’t in imposing the divine will or insisting on its own way but in sojourning with us as we fumble around and make our way in the world. God’s power is not in miraculous interventions, pre-emptive strikes in the cosmic war against suffering and evil, but in inviting us to build with God a commonwealth of love, peace and justice. God’s power is not in the obliterating of what is bad in the world, but in empowering us to build something good in this world. As Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa has said, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

Instead of enforcing control and solutions onto the world, God’s power is revealed in coming alongside us, journeying with us, suffering with us, and even staying with us in the boat when the storms come.

THE GOSPEL FROM A TO Z

Paul’s letter to the Galatians is dynamite! It’s an explosion of joy and freedom that leaves us enjoying a deep significance, security and satisfaction—the life of blessing into which God calls us. Galatians brings us face to face with the gospel—the real, genuine gospel. 

It’s very common in Christian circles to assume that “the gospel” is a set of basic "ABC" teachings that are the way in which someone enters the kingdom of God. But in this short letter, Paul outlines the bombshell truth that the gospel is the A to Z of the Christian life. It’s not only the way to enter the kingdom (the “A”); it’s the way to live as part of the kingdom (“B” through “Z”). The gospel changes life from top to bottom. The gospel transforms our hearts. The gospel transforms our thinking. The gospel transforms our approach to absolutely everything.

Paul challenges us with the truth that those who’ve been followers of Jesus for quite a while need the gospel every bit as much as new followers. Paul will explain to us that the gospel—the message that we are more wicked than we ever dared believe, but more loved and accepted in Christ than we ever dared hope—creates a radical new dynamic for personal growth, for obedience, for love. As I've said, the gospel is dynamite, and I pray that it explodes in your heart, and makes you passionate to see it do the same work in others’ hearts.

 It’s helpful to recognize three things from the historical setting of Paul’s letter to the Galatians which will help us understand it: 

First, the Apostle Paul’s task was starting new Christ-communities. After he began one of these communities and then left that region, he continued to supervise these communities through letters. Galatians is customarily dated around 54 C.E. It’s the only one of Paul’s seven genuine letters to be addressed to a group of communities rather than to a single community or individual; it is sent to the “churches of Galatia.” 

Those in the Christ-communities in Galatia were primarily non-Jews, nearly all of them “God-lovers” who had been attracted to Judaism and now were attracted to Paul's message. In other words, their background made Paul’s converts in Galatia vulnerable to being misled.

Bear in mind, first of all, that Paul’s converts in Galatia weren’t being tempted by non-Christian teachers. Rather, these teachers were followers of Jesus! This was a major issue within early Christianity. The first followers of Jesus in Jerusalem were Jewish, but as the gospel spread out from that center, increasing numbers of non-Jews began to receive Christ. After Paul left Galatia, other teachers had told the Galatians that non-Jewish men had to be circumcised and both women and men had to follow Jewish food laws. For them, it seemed obvious that what Jesus began was a movement within Judaism and that non-Jews needed to become Jews. That included circumcision. They also taught that non-Jews needed to observe kosher dietary laws in order to be completely pleasing to God. These teachers meant well. I think they were only adding what they considered to be important customs and practices to somehow enhance the gospel. You might say they were offering a “new and improved” version of the gospel.

 By insisting on Christ-plus-something-else, i.e. Christ plus observance of the Jewish law as a requirement for full acceptance by God, these teachers were presenting a whole different way of relating to God from the one Paul had given them. Although this controversy might seem pretty irrelevant to us today, some of us also practice a Christ-plus-something-else gospel. For some of us, it might be Christ-plus-living better, trying harder, or making more of ourselves—whatever our own pet God-project or concern might be. But for Paul, this Christ-plus-something-else gospel simply would not do!

Paul addressed it with an all-abiding, all-important, always-relevant truth. He taught that the cultural divisions and disunity in the Galatian Christ-communities were due to confusion about the nature of the gospel. It is this different gospel that was creating the cultural division and strife. Paul forcefully and unapologetically fought the “different gospel” because to lose one’s grip of the true gospel is to desert Christ himself (1:6). Therefore, Paul believed everything was at stake in this debate. 

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the opening of Galatians is Paul’s tone, and the frame of mind that lies behind it. Paul is surprised and he also seems angry. Paul shows his most unattractive side. His language is remarkably strong. He sounds like he has a chip on his shoulder. Where normally Paul’s letters move on, after his greeting, to a thanksgiving for those he’s writing to, here he simply says: “I am astonished …” (verse 6a). What has made Paul so angry?

 First, Paul is angry because these followers of Jesus are taking hold of a gospel that isn’t really a gospel (v 7), so they are in enormous danger. They are in “confusion” (v 7b). 

Second, Paul is enraged at those who are misleading the converts of the Christ-community—those who are “trying to pervert the gospel” (v. 7b). Paul calls down condemnation on them (v. 9). More indirectly, Paul is also angry at the Galatians themselves, warning them that they are deserting the God who called them (v. 6b)--a serious charge! 

We’ll see as we walk through portions of Paul’s letter that what caused his angry outburst was a group of teachers who were teaching new non-Jewish followers of Jesus that they were obliged to keep the Jewish cultural customs of the law—the dietary laws, circumcision and the rest of the ceremonial law—in order to be truly pleasing to God. To the Galatians, this didn’t appear to be a radical difference from what they’d been taught. Surely the whole point of being a follower of Jesus is to be pleasing to God! But Paul says: “This is an absolute repudiation of everything I’ve been telling you.”

Paul isn’t pulling any punches! But if we put ourselves in Paul’s shoes and believe what he believed about the gospel, then we will find his attitude justifiable. If the Galatians are really turning their backs on God and taking hold of a gospel that isn’t a gospel at all, then their condition is dangerous.

But who is Paul to write to these people in this way? He’s an “apostle”—a person who has been sent with immediate divine authority. The Greek word apostolos means “sent one” and refers to someone commissioned for a particular task. Paul’s phrase “not of human origin” drives home the uniqueness of Paul and the first apostles. Of course those who are called to ministry by the Holy Spirit today are not “of human origin” either—the ultimate cause of their ministry is Jesus’ call, and the ultimate authority for their ministry is the witness to Christ in Scripture. But they are appointed by human authority. This means that though ministers ultimately receive their call from God, they are called through the intermediaries of other human ministers, by the approval of a denomination, through the election of a congregation, etc.

 Paul is claiming a whole lot more than this. He says in vv. 11-12:

“For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Paul is saying here that he didn’t receive his apostolic commission through anyone human source at all. No apostles taught him. No church commissioned him. He was commissioned and taught directly by the risen Jesus himself. 

Second, in verses 8-9, Paul says he was sent with a particular divine message—the gospel—and he gets more dogmatic about it than most modern congregations would put up with from any preacher, regardless of how important or eloquent she might be. Paul writes:

… even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed! 

Wow! This means Paul claims his teaching is the standard for judging who is right and who is wrong. What Paul says is not the result of study, research, reflection and wisdom. It is God-given and both unchanging and unchangeable.

 This dogmatic and divinely-appointed Apostle reminds the Galatian Christ-communities of his message—the gospel, the only gospel. Then he gives them a quick, yet comprehensive, outline of the gospel message:

Who we are: helpless and lost! That’s what the word “rescue” implies in verse 4. Other founders of religions came to teach, not to rescue. Jesus was a great teacher, but when Paul gives us this nutshell version of Jesus’ ministry, he makes no mention of that at all. The average person on the street believes that a “Christian” is someone who follows Christ’s teaching and example. But Paul implies that’s impossible. After all, you don’t rescue people unless they are in a lost state and a helpless condition! This is what theologians call “total depravity” or, more accurately, “spiritual inability”. 

What Jesus did: How did Jesus rescue us? Jesus “gave himself for our sins” (v 4a). By adding “for our sins” Paul indicates clearly that he was thinking in sacrificial terms. In an age when sacrifice was almost universal as a means of retaining the goodwill and blessing of the gods such overtones would not have been missed. The word “for” means “on behalf of” or “in place of.” Christ’s death was represented as not just a general sacrifice, but a substitutionary one. He didn’t merely buy us a “second chance”, giving us another opportunity to get life right and stay right with God. He did all we needed to do, but cannot do. Symbolically, Jesus did all we should have done, in our place, so when he becomes our Savior, we are absolutely free from penalty or condemnation. 

What God did: God accepted the work of Christ on our behalf by raising him “from the dead” (v. 1) and by giving us the “grace and peace” (v. 3) that Jesus Christ won and achieved for us.

Why God did it: because God wanted to. This was all done “according to the will of our God and Father” (v 4d). God graciously planned what we didn’t realize we needed, and Christ by his grace (v. 6) came to achieve what we could never have achieved ourselves. There is no indication of any other motivation or cause for Christ’s mission except the will of God. There is nothing in us which merits it. Salvation is sheer grace alone. 

If we contributed to our rescue … if we had rescued ourselves … or if God had seen something deserving of rescue, or useful for God’s plan, in us … or even if we had simply called out for rescue based on our own reasoning and understanding … then we could pat ourselves on the back for the part we played in saving ourselves.

 But the gospel—Paul’s gospel—is clear; salvation, from first to last, is God’s doing. It is God’s calling, God’s plan, God’s action, and God’s work. This is the truth that lies at the heart of our faith. Paul reminds us that in the gospel we are brought far lower and raised much higher than we can imagine. I like what Jerry Bridges has said:

“Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.”

REVELATIONS ON REVELATION, PART 6

In my last post on Revelation, we started breaking the code in which John is writing. We learned that whenever he speaks of the “dragon,” that’s code for Satan, the devil. When he writes about the “beast” that’s code for the Roman Empire. In Revelation 13:11-18 he mentions another beast. Who or what is this second beast?

As we’ve said before, the emperors—many of them, anyway—required everyone to bow down to an image of the emperor and say, “Caesar is Lord!” The emperor needed thousands of religious officials to support and enforce this worship, acting with the power and approval of the emperor. They are represented by this second beast. This unholy priesthood is very good at its job. They were able through trickery to even make these images of the emperor appear to speak, even to breathe out smoke and fire as a way of creating fear and encouraging persons to bow and worship him, or else receive the consequences.

Worship of the emperor—bowing before his image and saying, “Caesar is Lord”—was a required pledge of loyalty to the emperor and the empire. Anyone who would not do this was suspected of treason. If the Romans took anything seriously, it was any threat of rebellion. Recall the trial of Jesus. Pilate could have cared less about all the religious charges being made against Jesus, but when Jesus was charged with being opposed to Caesar, Pilate took swift action.

If the threat of death didn’t force everyone to worship the emperor, the Romans could play another card—an economic one. That’s what the “mark of the beast” is all about. Verses 16-17:

… [the beast] causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 

The Greek word used here for “mark” is charagma, the term for the imperial seal on official documents. You could only receive this seal by worshipping the emperor. In effect, it was a business license. Without it, you couldn’t buy or sell anything. Something else was behind this “mark of the beast.” What was used throughout the Roman Empire on a daily basis that had the image, name and blasphemous titles of the emperor? Coins, of course.

 John is saying to his fellow Christians, “These Romans want to boycott us in order to force us to worship their gods. We will boycott them! Don’t do business in any way, shape or form with Rome! Don’t even carry a coin with the hideous mark or image of the beast on it. To do otherwise is to support an evil empire that is oppressing and killing your fellow brothers and sisters. To use this filthy money, to bow down so we can get a license to sell and buy is to receive the mark of the beast! It’s as if the mark or image of the beast isn’t on the coins or the documents but on our very foreheads and hands! We must not do this! For we have another mark, the mark of Christ on our foreheads—the mark of baptism. We belong to Christ, not the emperor. I know this is difficult and costly. But it is far better to suffer now than to renounce our faith in Christ and suffer far greater later.”

Remember the whole issue of apartheid in South Africa? Do you recall how a small white minority were calling all the shots there, and leaving people of other races impoverished? During that time, it was brought to the attention of Church leaders in many main-line denominations that pension funds were being invested in companies and corporations in South Africa benefitting from apartheid. A decision was made to divest from any such companies, for to do otherwise was to support that oppressing regime. In a sense, this is what John is saying to Christians of his era.
Next, John turns back to the beast himself, to the emperor. Lest there be any confusion, he’s going to identify the beast:

This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six (Rev.13:18).

There’s probably nothing in Revelation that’s the source of more speculation that than the identity of “Mr. 666.” He’s been identified with popes, presidents, and leaders throughout the centuries. But what was John really saying here?

Note that John says that understanding this requires “wisdom” or understanding. In other words, he admits to writing in code and that this can only be understood by knowing how to break it.

John is practicing “gematria,” a kind of numerology. Greek, Hebrew and Latin didn’t have numbers like the English language does. We have an alphabet and a number system—1-2-3, etc. Those who spoke Greek, Hebrew, and Latin used their alphabet to double for numbers. (Think of Roman numerals.) It would be like us saying that A stands for 1, B for 2, C for 3, etc. You could send someone a message using a combination of letters, if you knew the numerical value of each letter.

John is saying that the beast is the person who name comes out numerically as “666.” Six is the number of evil. Said three times, “666” means that this beast is the very embodiment of evil! The name that scholars have found that matches the numbers “666” in Greek, Latin or Hebrew is “Neron Caesar”—Nero!

Remember the beast that had a mortal wound but somehow survived or had even been resurrected. As we’ve said before, this was thought by many to be Nero, but I think John was saying this: “Every emperor who comes to power and persecutes God’s people is Nero brought to life again. Every ruler who does the unholy, cruel and unjust things Nero did—including Domitian, the present emperor—is Nero alive again! He is the epitome of evil. He is 666! And though he would pretend to be a god, he will get what he deserves sooner or later. He will be judged by the true God!”

The important thing in Revelation is a warning—live by the oppression and persecution of others and you’ll reap what you sow. Nero has been alive throughout history and he is alive and well all over our world today! But history shows us that every nation or ruler who has built on the crushed bodies of persons sooner or later crumbles.

The United States of America had best take heed. God has given the United States great wealth, power and influence. How are we using them? Does it concern you—as it does me—that one American corporation (I won’t say which one) made $39 billion from the violence of the Iraq war? Does it concern you—as it does me—when you learn that income growth for the bottom 90% of Americans averaged just $59 /year over the past four decades, while income growth for the top 10% averaged $116,071 /year? Does it concern you—as it does me—when you hear that one wealthy member of the U.S. House of Representatives (again, I won’t say who) raked in $3.5 million in federal farm subsidies and called himself a “successful businessman” and then, at the same time, voted to cut food aid for the poor and called food stamps stealing “other people’s money”? I fear we are long past the need for some serious soul-searching as a nation—of who we are, why we are and what we are doing. We aren’t so high and mighty that we can’t fail and fall.  

The heart of Revelation has to do with the challenge that faces every generation of Christians, whatever their historical setting and circumstances, to be who we say we are—true followers of Jesus Christ. Maybe we aren’t forced to bow down to some emperor and say he’s a god, but there are pressures on us to compromise, to get along, to be like everyone else.

Paul wrote these words to the Christians living in Rome:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2).

J. B. Phillips’ translates this: “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its mold.”

The message of Revelation can be summed up this way: don’t allow the culture to call the shots! Don’t allow it to determine your values and priorities. You belong to Jesus Christ. Live as citizens of the Commonwealth of God!

When self-centered materialism shapes and molds our values, remember who you are! You are more than your credit cards. You are more than money. The brand you wear is not just Abercrombie and Fitch. No, you’re branded as disciples of Jesus Christ. 

If you want to find the “mark of the beast,” look for the pressures in everyday life which would undermine the values of mercy and love, compassion and caring, generosity and hospitality—those things which are meant to be the identifying marks of the followers of Jesus Christ.

"…AND I'LL BLOW YOUR HOUSE IN…"

Who hasn't heard the story of the “Three Little Pigs”? It begins with the title characters being sent out into the world by their mother, to "seek their fortune". The first little pig builds a house of straw, but a wolf blows it down and the pig runs away. The second little pig builds a house of sticks, which the wolf also blows down after he lets his brother in and before the pigs run away. The third pig builds a house of bricks and lets his brothers in. The wolf fails to blow down the house. He then attempts to trick the pigs out of the house by asking the pigs to meet him at various places, but the pigs outwit the wolf each time. Finally, the wolf decides to come down the chimney, but the clever little pigs catch the wolf in a cauldron of boiling water. The pigs slam the lid on, and cook and eat the wolf.

My favorite part of the story was the repeated verse:

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in."

"No, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin."

[then I’d say along]

"Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blowwww your house in!”

The early followers of Jesus had built houses of grief and mourning. Their leader had been executed by the Romans. But then a new message came and blew their houses down: “Jesus is alive!” Over the course of 40 days Jesus continued to teach and to touch. But the time came for Jesus to leave. He went to be with God, but left instructions for God’s disciples to wait in Jerusalem until the gift of the Holy Spirit was given.

Pentecost was a Jewish feast, celebrated 50 days after Passover. It was one of 3 pilgrim festivals—that is, when all Jews were required to travel to Jerusalem with sacrifices and offerings.

The Bible says that those of us who follow Jesus are on a journey. Jesus, too, was and is on a journey to find us.

Here is the central truth of Pentecost. We don’t “come to God”; God comes to us.

The dominant impression the world has of the church is that it’s for good people who have stopped doing the things they call sin. Church is for people who have guilty consciences and need help with them. So they come to God for help. But that’s not what makes the church what it is. No, the church is about God coming to us.

Chris Glaser has written in his blog:

“Jesus loves me, this I know,” and not just because the Bible tells me so. Mere words could never convey the love I have felt from Jesus. It came from my mom and dad, from Christian friends, teachers, professors, clergy, guides, soul friends, and lovers. And it came from the Holy Spirit, opening scripture to me, opening my heart and mind, and releasing me from the whitewashed tombs of doctrines that no longer resonate.

If it were up to us to “come to God,” our faith would be a matter of earning things. Being good enough would matter. Being smart enough would matter. Getting our act together would matter. God would only be for the spiritual ones, the healthy ones, the good ones. You’d have to know something or have something or be something in order for you to come to God.

So the Christian tradition says that God made the first move. The Christian tradition tells us God gave the Son, so that we would realize that we are already forgiven of our misguided attempts to follow God. Then God gave the Spirit at Pentecost, so that we would have the power and the courage and the strength to begin and continue our journey.

When we draw near to God, it’s because God drew near first. When we reach out to God, it’s because God reached out first. When we love God, it’s only because God loved us first. The Holy Spirit, God’s continuing presence in us and among us, is proof that we don’t come to God without God’s first coming to us.

We need to understand that we’re harder to find than God is. We hide from God. We hide behind our image of having it all together. We hide behind criticism and condemnation, because we won’t forgive ourselves. We hide behind masks because we think God would be displeased if God really knew our thoughts. No, you don’t look for God. God’s not lost. You are.

Might I suggest that you simply let God love you. Rejoice in the fact that because of Pentecost, we have God’s Spirit living inside us, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead—resurrection power at our fingertips. Let’s let ourselves be found by God, but watch out! God will huff, and puff, and blow your house in”! Then God will help you build a whole new one.

9 Out Of 10 Americans Are Completely Wrong About This Mind-Blowing Fact

Revelations on Revelation: Part 5

In my last blog post we saw how John wrote the Book of Revelation in a kind of code, which sought to reveal and conceal. He revealed a message of faith and endurance to his persecuted readers. But he concealed this message from the Romans, as he had very harsh things to say about them and his belief of their ultimate fate. So, our task is to try to break that code. 

Revelation chapter 13 has so many well-known images in it: a dragon, beasts, the mark of the beast, and the number 666. These have been subjected to the most speculative interpretations, often with outlandish results that would even have John scratching his head.  Because we’ve taken the time to better understand this style of writing and the setting in which John lived, we can feel pretty confident that we understand much of what he was trying to say.

In chapter 12, John uses the image of the great “dragon.” That’s code for evil or the Devil. We know this because John identifies the dragon as the Devil in verse 9 of chapter 12. At the end of that chapter, the dragon is standing on the seashore.

Beginning in chapter 13:1 John sees “a beast” or monster rising out of the sea. The implication is that the dragon, the Devil, standing on the seashore, calls into creation something evil, a beast, through whom to work.

If you stand on Patmos, where John was, and looked west over the Mediterranean Sea, what country would you see rising out of the ocean? Right—Italy or more specifically, Rome! John later even makes this more explicit in chapter 17:12 when he says the place of which he writes rests on “seven mountains…” What great city was built on seven hills or mountains? Right again—Rome.

John uses various images to speak of Rome. Sometimes he refers to it as “Babylon,” that wicked ancient city that treated the Jews so harshly in the past. He does this in chapter 17. But also there he refers to Rome as a woman. Rome or Roma was actually a goddess who had temples and statutes devoted to her. In other words, Rome itself was worshipped. But John is saying in chapter 17 that Rome is no goddess! Rome is a whore, drunk, not with wine, but with the blood of the saints!

Back to chapter 13… John speaks of Rome as a “beast,’ a monster. Much of the imagery John uses here has been used before. For example, these references to beasts and their descriptions come right out of Daniel 7. But John takes and uses those images in new ways for his own circumstances. In Daniel we read about a beast with four heads. Daniel was talking about four kingdoms or empires—Babylon, Media, Persia and Greek. John says that the beast of which he is referring has the following:

And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth (v. 2).

John is saying that the beast he is talking about is worse than all the four other kingdoms put together! It leaps on its prey like a leopard, crushing it like the feet of a bear, roars and tears it apart like a lion! John is referring to the awesome power of the Roman Empire. This mighty, seemingly glorious empire of Rome is a bloody beast, oppressing and destroying any who would oppose it or refuse to bow before it.

John describes this beast, Rome, as “having ten horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names” (Revelation13:1b). A horn was a symbol of power or authority. John is speaking in code of the emperors of Rome. Since the time of Augustus, there had been seven “heads” or emperors:  Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Vespasian, Titus and Domitian. Those are the seven who actually became true emperors for an extensive period of time.

You will note that John mentions 10 horns. Nero died in A.D. 68. For about eighteen months, Rome was in chaos as three individuals sought the throne in this order—Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, but they only ruled for a very short time. That’s a total of 10!

What of the ten diadems on these horns? A diadem is a crown-like headband the emperors were known to have worn. Rome divided its empire into ten provinces, enforcing their power by appointing governors, over each one, e.g., Pontus Pilate for Palestine. Many scholars think this code of ten diadems is referring to these ten lesser rulers who were but shiny headbands on the emperors.

What about this description of the beast in verse 1:  “and on its heads were blasphemous names”? Just as Rome itself was made a goddess who was worshipped, the emperors also were thought of as gods, and worshipped as such. Some of them—like Caligula, who was truly insane—enforced it. He had the heads of all the statutes of the gods cut off and his own likeness replacing them. He went so far as to seek to set up such a statue in the Holy of Holies in the temple in Jerusalem and had an army ready to enforce that he be worshipped there. He was assassinated before that plan could be put into action.

The point here is that on statues and on coins titles were given to the emperors such as these:  divine, son of God, lord, and savior.  Nero, for example, called himself “the savior of the world.” For Christians and Jews, this was blasphemy. 

John sees the emperors as the very embodiment on earth of the Devil himself, carrying out his evil schemes. Note that in the last part of verse 3 John says this very thing:  “And the dragon gave it [the beast] his power and his throne and great authority.” For John the source of Rome’s power was satanic.

But there was one emperor who for John and his reader’s was the worst of all. His name was Nero, who ruled from A.D. 54 to 68. He was very possibly mad and most certainly drunk with power. He had persons executed on a whim. In A.D. 64 a significant fire broke out in Rome. Many thought Nero was behind this in order to make room for a new palace complex. In order to point the finger elsewhere, Nero blamed Christians for the fire. After all, rumor had it that they were teaching and preaching that the world would end in fire and likely were acting to help make that a reality. Nero had Christians in Rome crucified, some dressed in filthy rags and fed to dogs, while others were put on stakes, coated in tar and set on fire in Nero’s garden while he rode among them on his chariot. Tradition also says that the two greatest leaders in the early church, Peter and Paul, were martyred under Nero. We see why John and his fellow Christians would hate and fear Nero.

But they had another reason to hate and fear him. Near the end of his reign, Nero’s army in Gaul and Spain rebelled against him. Soon the Roman Senate and his own guards did the same. Nero saw the handwriting on the wall and either committed suicide or had a servant do it by having his throat cut.

You would think this would be a fit end to Nero, and that John or no one else would have to be concerned about him. But, in fact, Christians and many Romans themselves still worried about Nero. Why? Because there was a lot of mystery surrounding his death. There was a rumor for a long time that Nero hadn’t died—that he had fled to the east and was rebuilding his army and would march again on Rome and continue his persecution of Christians. Other rumors were that Nero had died but come back to life. Many took these rumors seriously.

Now what does this have to do with Revelation? Listen to Revelation 13:3 again:  “One of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed.” Recall that these “heads” represent the emperors. Here John says one of them had received a mortal wound but was thought to have died and come back to life. The thought of Nero alive and ruling again was the worst possible nightmare for Christians. John seems to be taking these rumors quite seriously. Or, more likely John even thought that the present ruler, Domitian, was actually Nero. For all practical purposes, Nero did come alive again when a new emperor continued his oppressive policies!

Verse 4 reads:  “They worshipped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?’” It seemed the whole world was worshipping the beast, as Rome, so powerful, was imposing its rule on everyone, especially in the worship of the city itself, Roma, and of the emperor as a god. Indeed, in light of such power, who could stand? What was a Christian to do?

John gives words of hope and comfort in verses 5-10. First, he reminds them that their names are written in the “book of life of the Lamb.” Rulers in those days kept a registry of all the citizens in their kingdom. If your name was in the book, you enjoyed all the rights and privileges of being a citizen. John is saying that the true King of kings has a book of life with the names of the citizens of God’s kingdom written in it. As citizens they would enjoy all the rights of citizens, one especially was that of eternal life.

Second, note the part of verse 10 that speaks about those who take up the sword.  “If anyone slays by the sword, with the sword must he be slain.” This is most likely a reference to similar words of Jesus when Peter takes up a sword to protect Jesus when he’s being arrested in the Garden. I think in Revelation John is calling for rebellion against Rome, just not a physical or armed one, but a spiritual one, one of faith. You see, there were various responses to Rome’s rule. Some, like the Zealots among the Jews, sought to raise an army and overthrow the Romans. This reached such a point that Rome finally marched against Jerusalem in the Roman-Jewish War from A.D. 66-70, when Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. This is an example of what happens to those who try to live by the sword. John advocates a different way to respond to Roman oppression, not with violence, which was the way of Rome itself and Rome was far better at it.

Note verse 10:  “Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.” John says it even more plainly in 14:12: “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus.” These two verses are the heart of John’s message. The response of Christians under such terrible oppression is one of endurance, of faith, of trust in God’s ultimate power to save and redeem them.

Jesus himself is the great example for them. He, too, suffered under the rule of Rome. He was tortured and crucified, yet remained faithful and true to God.  But that was Good Friday. The Romans controlled that day. But they could do nothing about Sunday—Easter! So, John’s readers, too, must endure, with the hope and faith that they, too, go through the agony of Good Friday to the glorious victory of Easter Sunday!

 Sometimes everyone seems to have a wild beast at their heels. Circumstances arise, forces come against us so overwhelming that we have little if any control over them. The beast could take the form of sickness or financial burdens or, depending on where one lives, even persecution under another blood thirsty Nero. I have seen such beasts arise many times. And we can fight against them or seek to flee, but some beasts, some circumstances, catch up with us anyway and would seemingly triumph over us.

But I have also often seen something else—brave people who somehow found something deep inside them that led them to stop running from or cowering to the beast and turning to face it instead with courage and faith, and in so doing overcoming it.

Revelations on Revelation: Part 4

When Jimmy Carter was president, back in the late 1970’s, something happened that plagued the later part of his first and only term. Do you  remember what that was? Right—the Iranian Hostage Crisis. Our embassy there was taken over and 66 of our people were held hostage; 52 of them were held for 444 days! They were eventually released on January 20, 1981, just a few minutes after a new president, Ronald Reagan, was inaugurated.

What you might not know is that among the hostages was a certain Marine sergeant who happened to be Latino. He had been stationed there to help protect the embassy. Things were not looking very good at all for them. They lived under the constant threat of being executed. So, on the prison wall of their cell he wrote this in Spanish: “Viva la America!”

Does anyone know what that means? Yes—“Long live America!” Why do you think he wrote that? Yes—to bolster the spirits of his fellow captives. He was trying to tell them to hang in there. Things did look back but they could not give up or give in. They were American citizens! They had to keep the faith that they would not ultimately be abandoned by their country. They just had to be patient, to endure, to keep the faith.

This Marine sergeant spoke English. Why did he write his message in Spanish? I think it was because he knew his fellow hostages would understand what he wrote but that it wasn’t likely their captors would. They didn’t speak Spanish. He used that language to communicate a hidden message of hope and encouragement to his fellow prisoners. In other words, you might say he used a code. 

In 2002, a movie came out entitled, “Windtalkers.” It was based on real persons during World War II. In the film, another Marine sergeant is assigned to protect a Navajo code talker. In Arizona, we’re familiar with the Navajo nation. Because their language is complicated and was totally foreign to the Japanese, Navajos were recruited to transmit and interpret military messages. The Japanese were never able to break this code. The Navajo “Windtalkers” had a vital role in winning World War II!  

What is the purpose of a code?—to conceal and reveal; to communicate with your friends but confuse any enemies who might intercept the message. 

In a way, what the Marine sergeant and the Navajo code talkers did was what John was seeking to do. He wanted to convey a message of hope and encouragement to his fellow Christians who were suffering horribly under the Romans. But how could he do that in a way that his own people could understand but not their enemies? The answer—their own kind of code—apocalyptic! Apocalyptic language and literature, which John and his people knew very well, became their Spanish, their Navajo! Christians could read it and find great comfort and a powerful message in it. But any Roman coming across it would most likely ignore it as simply religious gibberish. John had some very harsh things to say about the Romans, especially the emperor, and it would not have been good for him or his fellow sufferers to have their enemies know what he was actually saying. So, the Book of Revelation can be seen as a code.  

We need to remember as we read and try to understand Revelation that John does not intend these images and numbers to be taken literally. Each one has a meaning for him and his readers. So to take everything he writes literally is to be utterly confused and misunderstand his message, which is exactly what he wanted when it came to their enemies. 

John realizes that some of his readers might be confused by what he says. So, a few times in this book he actually tells them what certain parts of the code mean. For example, in the very first chapter of Revelation John, in code, mentions several times the “seven stars” and the “seven golden candlesticks or lampstands.” In the very last verse of that chapter, verse 20, he writes this: 

As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. 

Now we can know whenever John refers to “seven golden lampstands” he is talking about the church, God’s people. In fact, in chapters 2-3, we read his letters to seven churches in Asia Minor. Referring to them as “golden lampstands” is saying that they were precious, valued to him and especially to God, even of more worth than gold. Referring to them as “lampstands” brings to mind the words of Jesus about his followers letting their light shine so the whole world can see it. John also is using a very old Jewish image here – the  menorah, a lampstand that has seven candles on it that is still used today in Jewish temples and synagogues, as it stands for the people themselves. In other words, “lampstand” is a code or symbol for God’s people and their mission in the world – to be light bearers! 

But what of these “seven stars” who we are told mean “the angels of the seven churches”? That’s part of the code we really have to work at and still can’t be fully confident that we understand. I believe John is referring to the leaders of the church—pastors, teachers, elders. And by saying “seven,” a number that always means for John “complete” or “whole,” He isn’t talking to seven individuals but to all leaders in all churches. John realizes that they provide a key for the survival and well-being of the church. They are the ones upon whom he has to depend to share the message of keep up the hopes and faith of their people in such desperate times. As the leaders go, so usually would the churches! 

Let’s look at another example—verses 12 and following. John has a vision of a wondrous being. This person wears a dazzling white robe with a gold sash. His hair is brilliant white also. His eyes are piercing like fire. His feet are like polished bronze, that is, powerful, strong. His words were more powerful than the ocean or the sharpest two-edged sword. He walks among the seven golden lampstands and holds the seven stars in his right hand – the hand of power. And he is called, “The Son of Man.” This is the one who was dead and yet is alive, who holds the keys to death and eternal life. John is so taken by this vision that he falls to his feet and is told, “Do not be afraid.” 

This is a vision of the risen, glorified Lord, Jesus, in his entire splendor. John wants them to see this Jesus, too. He wants to remind them of just who they are serving, and to hear and believe, “Do not be afraid.”  

Throughout this book, John is contrasting Christ with the Roman emperor, who must surely have been an imposing figure in all his royal regalia. I mean, Caesar was the ruler of the known world! His word carried life or death. He had massive armies at his disposal. How in the world could tiny little Christians ever stand a chance against the greatest power on earth?  John is telling them that Caesar, for all his glory and power, pales in comparison to the One who is truly the ruler of all, the One who has even conquered death. 

This One walks among the “seven golden lampstands,” that is, as we just discovered, means the churches! This majestic One isn’t up there somewhere, has not abandoned them but is right there among them. And the seven stars, which John says are the seven angels, which likely means the pastors and leaders of the church, are held in the right hand of this mighty One!  

John wants his readers to focus on this great truth – that they are ultimately in the hands of the risen, glorious Lord, no matter how it might seem otherwise. John wanted them to call to mind this great vision of Christ when they were being tested and tempted. Though it cost them dearly to do so, they were to continue to place their lives and their faith in this One, the One of whom even the Roman emperor would sooner or later how to bow before, the One who is truly the King of kings, and Lord of Lords! Remember this when great armies of adversity march seemingly march against you! Remember this when circumstances beyond your control would overwhelm you—don’t be afraid! For the majestic Son of Man walks among you and is by your side every step of your journey.