Thoughtful Thoughts 4.10.24 by John Dunning; 

REVELATION’S PROBLEMS & PURPOSE.

A).  INTRODUCING THE PROBLEMS RAISED ABOUT REVELATION…

In a film made about Billy Graham’s life, he commented that whilst at Bible college there was a more widely known student evangelist than himself. However, because of the required subject matter in their studies, the other student lost his faith and disappeared from the scene. Something similar happened at the college I went to, where students asked for extra lectures to hear the evangelical point of view. That’s because many students have to learn “Biblical Criticism”. To gain the degree, professional theology lecturers teach the academic side but not the evangelical answers to counter Biblical criticism. Bishop David Jenkins doubted even the miracles of Jesus. We need to have an answer to help such people.

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1). PROBLEMS PERCEIVED…

Martin Luther was extremely rude about Revelation. To put it politely, he said it was uninspired. At first, he wasn’t even going to include it in his Bible translation.

It helps if we remember that Luther’s background and culture had been immersed in Catholicism, so when he eventually came to faith, he had Augustine’s view of the Kingdom of God, (which allowed for the church to use military might to bring about what it called ‘Christendom’, (as noted in the movie, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven,’ based on the Crusades launched by the Popes.)

Luther’s blindness was so great, that he also dismissed the book of James as well, as he thought it helped the Catholic doctrine of salvation by works, so he missed the whole point of what James was saying.

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2). PROOF OF THE DIVINE INSPIRATION OF REVELATION…

Compare Revelation 4:3, 10:1 with 21:19-20. They prove the inspiration of the book of Revelation because John could not have known which precious stones would turn all the colours of the rainbow in the presence of pure light unless it was revealed to him by Revelation because that was only discovered in the 20th century.

3). UNDERSTANDING THE IMAGERY OF REVELATION…

Knowing the book of Daniel helps an understanding of Revelation. Many of John’s readers were Jews, and would know the Old Testament, so they would understand Revelation better than Gentiles. 

Remember John was seeing futuristic things that no language had words to describe, so he had to say, “well what I saw was a bit like this – or that.” 

ii). Then there were things understood by the locals, as they were common knowledge at that time, as the special white stones would have been. I saw a documentary where a Greek historian and archaeologist explained that Greek voters back then were given white stones to use to vote for their chosen elected representative. Only citizens of Athens could have the white stones as it was a privilege of citizenship. Whilst that history lesson has been lost in the mists of time, it spoke to me, anyway! 

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B). THE PURPOSE OF REVELATION…

To understand Revelation, we need to take a look to see what Jesus added to our knowledge about the disciples that will be persecuted during the time of big trouble – or the ‘great threshing’ (or tribulation, a derivative of Latin).

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(a). BELIEVERS ARE ON EARTH DURING THE TIME OF BIG TROUBLE…

In Rev. 14:12-13, which is right in the middle of this period of “great tribulation”, Jesus said, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, from now on”. 

Question: Who are the people who are being so faithful to Jesus during this tribulation period, that they die in the Lord? 

Answer: Only believers are ever labeled as those who “die in the Lord”, and only believers would remain so faithful to Jesus, that they would continue to stand up for Him even to martyrdom. Jesus promises that they will be “blessed”. It is a very special encouragement being given to believers who are right in the middle of the ‘great tribulation’. 

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(b). BELIEVERS ARE MARTYRED & ENTERING HEAVEN DURING THE TIME OF BIG TROUBLE…

In Revelation 7: 14 John is being told that the people dressed in white are believers arriving straight out of the great tribulation. Believers are still on the earth during the time of big trouble, or “tribulation”, and being persecuted and martyred. So we will not be removed by God from the earth before the great tribulation. Jesus is warning us of worldwide persecutions still to come, in order for us to know the true cost of discipleship. He wouldn’t warn us of all that happening to us during this time of the great tribulation if it weren’t true. Matt. 24 shows us where the tribulation fits in.

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(c). THE TIME OF BIG TROUBLE…

During the time of the big trouble, (the ‘tribulation’), believers will be identified by those REFUSING Satan’s mark, (Rev. 13:16-18). God’s terror will fall on those siding with the evil one. God’s terror will not affect those choosing to wear God’s personal marker, which God will put on His own people, (Ch.7:3). His terrors will not hurt them; (Which happened in Egypt to God’s people when blood was put above the doorposts of God’s people, to identify themselves as God’s people, and which protected them from God’s judgment on the Egyptians.) In other words, in Revelation Jesus is giving His church a “heads up” of what is to come. (God warned people that the wages of sin is death.)

‘Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!’ Rev. 6:15-16. 

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EPILOGUE… FOLLOWING JESUS MEANS TAKING UP HIS CROSS…

THE BAD NEWS

From Revelation ch. 6 all through to ch. 16, Jesus warns His future followers that during the end times they too will face persecution.

Why would Jesus do that? 

Because Jesus is wanting His church to be prepared... 

When Corrie Ten Boom realized this, she made it her life’s mission to preach warning Jesus’ disciples to be ready for the big persecution still to come. It has been really bad in many countries already – but later it will be everywhere at the same time. Jesus wanted us to know, ‘upfront’, the cost of following Him. (The prosperity movement is fake news, which is loosely based on the Israelite’s Old Covenant, by cherry-picking from it.) Paul warned that going back to the Old Covenant puts us back under the curse of the law, (Galatians 3:10-11).

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THE GOOD NEWS

Listen to what John says in Revelation 1:7 says:- “Every eye shall see Him…” 

That is what we are preparing for! No wonder the last thought John leaves us with is; “Even so come, Lord Jesus”.

This link takes you to our devotional https://blog.inspirationalmedia.org.nz/

This is John Dunning signing off from “Thoughtful Thoughts” for another week.