Revelation: Lesson 10: The Seven Signs, Parts 4-5

 

–          What do these three visions depict?

 

–          The 4^th seal says that authority was given to “them” over ¼ of the earth.  In John’s day, and even following, who controlled that much of the earth?

 

–          So far we have seen the beast try to kill, through earthly authority, Jesus and His mother.  Then followed an intense persecution of the infant Church.  Knowing history, what could these visions describe?

 

If these visions describe the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, where was the Church in all this?  The 4^th censer says that those being destroyed “did not repent.”  So, where was the mother Church of Jerusalem during this time?

 

Eusebius, the “father of church history,” tells us this:

Meanwhile, before the war began [the siege of Jerusalem], members of the Jerusalem church was ordered by an oracle given by revelation to those worthy of it to leave the city and settle in a city of Perea called Pella. (Eusebius, Church History: 3:5)

Read excerpts of Josephus’ description of the Jewish War.

 

The 4^th Vision

In this vision, the reader/hearer sees the different situation of another Jerusalem: not the earthly one being destroyed, but the heavenly one.  There, the vision is quite different.  John sees what the book of 2 Esdras (Ezra) from the Old Testament Apocrypha had earlier mentioned: 

I Ezra, saw on Mount Zion a great multitude, which I could not number, and they were praising the Lord with songs.  In their midst was a young man of great stature, taller than any of the others, and on the head of each of them he placed a crown, but he was more exalted than they.  And I was held spellbound.  Then I asked the angel, “What are these, my lord?”  He answered and said to me, “These are they who have put off mortal clothing and have put on the immortal, and they confessed the name of God.” (2 Esdras 2:43-45)

 

Revelation 14:1

And I looked, and, behold, a Lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000 having His name, and having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.

The number 144,000 in Revelation 7:4, 14:1, and 14:3 is clearly symbolic.  There never were 144,000 sinless, male, Israelite virgins standing on top of Mount Zion in Jerusalem, with God’s name on their foreheads, singing and playing harps. 

 

 

–          As we saw earlier, instead of the number of the beast, whose name is on their foreheads?

 

–          What does this mean?

 

Revelation 14:2-5

And I heard a voice out of heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpists harping with their harps: and they sing as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four living beings, and the elders: and no man was able to learn the song but the 144,000, who were the redeemed from the earth.

John here sees again what he saw in Chapter 5, of heavenly worship.  Except here he condenses his description and doesn’t mention the words of the “new song,” the song of salvation and victory won by the Lamb who was slain.

–          If “no man was able to learn the song but the 144,000,” what does this say about the content of the Church’s praise of God?

 

Seal 5

What began in seal 4 continues in seal 5.  The destruction continues, however, the focus on earth is now not on those in the Church.  We also see heaven and earth are contrasted—what is taking place in eternity while destruction is taking place on earth.  We first look to see what is taking place on earth when seal 5 is opened.

5^th Censer

Revelation 16:10-11

And the fifth poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues in pain, and the blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and they did not repent of their deeds.

This brings to mind the 9^th plague of darkness inEgypt during the ten plagues, when Moses petitioned Pharaoh to let the Israelites go (Exodus 10:21).  Like the Egyptians during this plague, we see spiritual darkness envelop the Israelites.

–          During this time of suffering, do the Israelite repent or curse God?

 

5^th Trumpet

Revelation 9:1-4

And the fifth angel trumpeted, and I saw a star fall out of heaven to the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.  And he opened the bottomless pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun darkened and the air by the smoke of the pit.  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun was darkened and the air by the smoke of the pit.  And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and to them was given authority, like the authority scorpions of the earth have.  And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men who have not the seal of God on their foreheads.

 

Luke 10:18: Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

–          Who most likely is the one who has the key to the bottomless pit?

 

–          In this vision, “only those men who have not the seal of God on their foreheads” will be harmed.  Who then is being harmed here, those in the Church or those outside of her?

 

–          Does this match the fall of Jerusalem with the Christians living in Pella?

 

Revelation 9:5-6

And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.  And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

Compare this with Luke 23:28-31, when Jesus prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem:

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?”

–          If Revelation 9:5-6 describes the fall of Jerusalem, what will happen first?

 

Revelation 9:7-12

And the form of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads were something like gold crowns, and their faces were like the faces of men.  And they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth we like lions.  And they had breastplates, like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots of many running horses running to battle.  And they had tails like scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and they had authority to hurt men five months.

And they have a king over them, the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abbadon, and in the Greek tongues his name is Apollyon.

One woe is past; behold there are two woes coming after these things.

Here, John ties into Joel, chapters 1-2.  John is describing what is so harsh that people will long for death.  Abbadon in Hebrew means “destruction” and apollyon in Greek means “destroyer.”

 

Revelation 9	Joel 1-2
And the form of locusts was like horses prepared for battle (9:7)	[The locusts] appearance is like that of horses, and like warhorses they charge (2:4)
Their teeth were like lions (9:8)	Its teeth are like lions’ teeth; its fangs are like those of a lioness (1:6)
And they had breastplates, like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle (9:9)	As with the rumbling of chariots, they leap on the tops of the mountains, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle….  Like warriors they charge; like soldiers they scale the wall. (2:5,7)

 

–          How does this match what was earlier read from the Roman historian, Josephus, and the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD?

 

We now see what John sees is this fifth seal, but this time what John sees taking place in heaven.

 

5^th Vision

Revelation 14:6-7

And I saw another angel fly in mid-heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give Him glory; because the hour of His judgment has come: and worship Him who made heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

–          Here we see an angel with the gospel.  What he is extolling everyone (every nation, tribe, tongue, and people) on earth to do?

 

Revelation 14:8

And there was another angel, saying, Fallen, Fallen is Babylon, that great city, because she made all nation drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

–          Remember, if we see John writing Revelation in the 60s, this has not yet happened.  Discuss whyJerusalemwould be called “Babylon”?

 

Revelation 14:9-11

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worships the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his  forehead, or in his hand, and he will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out undiluted into the cup of His wrath; and he shall be tormented by fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever: and they have no rest day and night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name.

–          Is this angel now describing earthly torment or eternal torment for those who worshiped the beast and his image?

 

–          It hell is being described, whey then does John say that it takes place “in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb”?

 

Homework Reading: Is Hell an Eternal Separation from God?

In 2 Thessalonians 1:9, most translations read something to the effect that Hell “is the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might.”

“Away from” and “from” are both translations of the Greek word apo.  However, apo is ambiguous and can carry a couple of meanings.  To carry the ambiguity of the Greek into English, “from” would be a better translation, because “from” also has that ambiguity in English.

Now, “from” could mean that hell is an eternity away from God’s presence.  However, “from” could just as well mean that hell is an eternity caused by God’s presence.

Hell being caused by God’s eternal presence is the better of the understanding.  Why?

1. God is omnipresent, so no place exists where God is not, including in eternity.  This should be an obvious no-brainer for Christians.  That’s why the angel’s words in John’s vision simply assert that those suffering eternal torment are “in the presence of the Lamb.”  The angel is simply and matter-of-factly testifying to this reality.

2. In 2 Thessalonians 1:10, Paul is referring back to Isaiah 2:10, 19, 21.

1. Isaiah 2:10: “hide in the dust from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty.”

1.                                                               i.      “From before” is a translation of the Hebrew word min.  Min means “from,” but also “by” and “because of.”  So Isaiah is saying to hide–not away from–but because of the Lord’s presence.

2. Isaiah 2:19 and 21 describe the same scenario using the same Hebrew word min.

Saying that Hell is an eternal separation from God based on the ambiguity of the Greek word apo in 2 Thessalonians 1:9 doesn’t make sense, especially considering God’s omnipresence, which Scripture teaches in many places.  If you factor in Isaiah’s use of the Hebrew word min, the case is closed.

So what is Hell?  Hell is being in eternity without Christ’s righteousness to make you holy.  If someone does not have Christ’s righteousness and holiness, he would experience eternity–not as a child of Light–but as if being on fire.  It would be eternal torment because God is eternal.

A person’s own righteousness is not sufficient.  Hell is what happens when someone is in eternity in God’s omnipresent, eternal glory, where God is being God without “hiding Himself” (as He does here, in Word and Sacrament, to make Himself accessible to us sinful creatures).

—————

 

Now, John tells what eternity is like for those who have God’s name written on their foreheads.

Revelation 14:12-13

Here is the patience of the saints: here are they who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.  And I heard a voice out of heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: Yes, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; for their works do follow with them.

–          Instead of works condemning, how are the works done is faith treated?

 

5^th Seal

Revelation 6:9-11 

And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar of them that were slain on account of the word of God, and on account of the testimony of the Lamb which they held: And they were crying out with a loud voice, saying: How long, O Master, holy and true, are You not judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?  And white robes were given to each one; and it was said to them, that they should rest for a little time, and until their fellow servants and their brethren, the ones who were about to be killed and as them, should be fulfilled.

John now describe the saints martyred for their faith, perhaps, those martyred in the Third Seal (Nero’s persecution).

–          What doe we see the saints do in eternity when “they were crying out with a loud voice, saying: How long, O Master …”?

 

–          Yet, instead of suffering, what are they given?

 

–          According to what John sees, is more Christian persecution to take place?

 

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