-   -   -   -   - 
                           How John Saw It 
                          -   -   -   -   - 

        In Revelation 12, John sees the great scope  of  history,
    down  through  the  end.    Revelation  12  is  an outline or
    skeleton for the rest of the book.  It represents  the  grand
    sweep  of  history  from  the  days  of  Christ on.  There is
    presented the adversary, the Devil,  the  Dragon,  Satan,  as
    standing  ready  to  destroy the infant Christ when He became
    man.  We see that he does not accomplish his purpose and  the
    anouncement  is  made that he has been cast down; his kingdom
    has really been dealt a death blow.    And  Satan  recognizes
    that  he must prolong his days as much as possible by keeping
    the fruits of Christ's life ever becomming  realized  in  the
    lives of HIs people. 

        We  have  discussed  before that if God ever has a people
    who have become visibilized, so that God can say: "Here  they
    are,"  then that finishes Satans kingdom, and he knows  that,
    and  so  he has become quite anxious to attack the  followers
    of  Christ  and  he  became  so  vicous at a certain time  in
    history  (  refered to as the 1260 days  or  years  that  the
    church  was  driven into the wilderness.  It would have  been
    ingulfed, as John saw, by a flood of water, the church  would
    have  been  inundated,  but earth opened up its mouths, so to
    speak,  and  protected  these  people.    Not  only was Satan
    vanquished in terms of the life of Christ, but even though he
    drove the church underground he could not destroy them. 

        In the latter part of Revelation 12 it is described  that
    he  is  going to make one last thrust toward the remnant, and
    this is where he becomes  especially  infuriated  because  he
    knows that his time is short. 

        Now,  John as he senses all of this must have become very
    excited as he saw this panorama spread before him.   "How  is
    all of this going to take place?"  Can we be warned as to the
    ploys  and  attacks  that  Satan  is going to utilize?"  And,
    ofcourse, he was very interested in how all of this was going
    to take place; and the next  thing  that  he  see's  is  this
    Leopard  like beast, which he describes in Revelation 13, and
    here is this massive religious power that becomes  so  strong
    that  it  can  require  even the nations to subscribe to its'
    tennants, its' wine, that they  become  intoxicated,  and  it
    shall  be  able to force upon the whole world the requirement
    that the beast be worshiped.  But John knows from  the  study
    of Daniel that this beast had received a deadly wound, almost
    wiped  it  out  almost  killed  it.  Now he see's it and this
    wound has been healed and  he  hears  it  saying  blasphemous
    things  against God.  John has always been concerned, as have
    all of the other prophets of God, of the establishment of the
    Kingdom of God;  "How long God until you come out  of  hiding
    and  really  establish  your kingdom?"  So here is this beast
    like power,  speaking  blasphemous  things  against   heaven,
    against  the  Sanctuary,  against  the way God is running the
    universe,  and will require ultimately all of the inhabitants
    of the world to worship its' way, and will make war, and this
    is where the remenant will be attacked by this  beast;  using
    this symbolic language. 

        I imagine that John wondered how this beast became such a
    great   power   when   it   had  previously  received  such a
    devestating, death blow. 

        In the latter part of the  13th  chapter  he  see's  that
    there  is  another beast that arises, looking like a Lamb but
    speaking like a Dragon.  And he see's that this  beast  shall
    make  an  image  to the beast; that is it shall join with the
    beast and reflect the very principles that the  beast  stands
    for.  It is through this beast, the Lamb-like beast, that the
    Leopard-like  beast  becomes  powerful  once again.  Now this
    begins to shape up in John's  thinking,  and  he  see's  that
    things  get  so  fearce,  so intense, that the time will come
    that everyone receives some kind of a mark  indicating  their
    adherance  to the beast, and ultimately this means the Dragon
    or the Devil  himself,  unless  they  display  some  kind  of
    outward  evidence  that they will be put to death; and except
    that they don't bow down, Satan  would  have  all  the  world
    under his spiritual umbrella. 

        About this time, and in fact in earlier parts of the book
    of  Revelation, the question had been asked:  "How long?  How
    long is this going to go on?"  And there are  several  places
    in  the  book  that this question is asked.  Daniel asked the
    same thing:  "How long are you going to allow  everything  to
    be  trodden  under foot?"  The question is asked in Daniel 8;
    ansd there will come a time when God's work, God's character,
    everything that God stood for will  be  justified,  would  be
    vindicated.    Well, John asks the same question.  In fact in
    Revelation 6 the question is asked under the 5th  seal:  "How
    long  Oh God just and true are you going to sit by and waite,
    how long is it going to be before you will come in and  judge
    the  world  and  set  things straight, and avenge our blood?"
    This where the saints feel that they have been abandoned, and
    the  question is aked again when all  of  this  tumult  takes
    place "Who's going to make it, who's going  to  stand?"    In
    chapter 7 where this question is asked; the picture is  geven
    that  God  will have a people; and the expression is used to 
    show  that God will have a people; the symbolic expression is
    144,00.  And after John see's this Lamb-like beast which  has
    given  power  to  the  Leopard-like  beast, which in turn has
    gained its power from the Dragon.  Again he  must  have  been
    discouraged, John was reliving the episodes of the Kingdom of
    God,  and  so,  before the message of deliverence comes, once
    again John is  reminded,  "don't   be   discouraged".      In
    Revelation,  several  times,  it  is mentioned; God will have
    people, this is one of the great moments that the Kingdom  of
    God  has been waiting for:  How long, where will God's people
    be?
        
        All through scripture the prophets asked  this  question,
    and many of them have been discouraged because it looked like
    God's  people  didn't  exist.  Elijah said: "I'm the only one
    left."  God said no, there are more but you can't  see  them.
    Well, when are they going to be seen?  When will God's people
    be  delivered,  when  will  they  stand forth in the glory of
    their creator?  These are the questions that John is  asking,
    as  he  is  still feeling the pulsating movement of these two
    beasts, and yet with the hope that there will  be  a  people,
    then  he  looks  up and see's this angel rustling through the
    heavens, comming with a loud cry,    announcing  the  eternal
    gospel  and  that the hour of God's Judgement has come.  This
    is the deliverance that God's church has  been  waiting  for;
    God  is finnally going to make a stand, it has appeared thjat
    God has been quiet for all these generations.   And  now  the
    announcement  is made that you can really rejoice in God, you
    can look forward to Him, you can praise Him,  He's  going  to
    stand-forth  and  deliver  His people.  This is what John was
    seeing. 

        The natural reaction to this is to worship  Him,  to  see
    worth  in  Him;  Alright now God, you are shining forth, your
    glory is being seen, You  are  standing-forth  in  judgement,
    things  are not going to end in a meaningless kaleidiscope of
    separate pieces.  It's all brought together and God is  going
    to  stand-forth  in justice and He is going to be victorious.
    This brought hope to the heart of John. 

        He see's this at a time when the second  angel  comes  in
    and  announces that Babylon has fallen.  It is not until this
    time that the first angels' message really makes sense.   God
    is   going  to  announce  His  kingdom,  He's  going  to make
    judgement, He's going to straighten things out.    As  Daniel
    says;  He  is  going to be vindicated, the Sancturary will be
    justified.
               
         Now, what's this Babylon?    You'll  remember  that  the
    first  record  we  have of Babylon, is right after the flood;
    people decided that God wasn't going to pull a fast one on us
    again, not only are we going to find out how all  this  water
    came  arbout,  but  we're going to make sure that if it comes
    again we are going to be able to  get  away  from  it.    You
    recall  the record of the dispersion of tounges?  In fact the
    babylonian word means to disperse or to  scatter.    But  the
    Babylonians  never  really liked that word and in fact latter
    on when they decided to utilize the word for what we know  of
    as  Babylon they changed the word from BABALOO which means in 
    the Babylonian tongue dispersion or  scattering,  to  BABILOO 
    which  means  the  porch  or  gate  of  the  Gods'.  Quite an
    arrogant name, that all the Gods consorted  through  Babylon,
    and Nebuchadnezzer became pretty big-headed about his kingdom
    eventually  so  that  this kingdom becomming known as Babylon
    became a very powerful empire and became quit a  harrassement
    to   the  children  of  Israel  at  that  time.   Three times
    Nebuchadnezzer invaded Judah  and  took  the  people  of  God
    captive,  and  during  this time they waited for deliverance.
    The Jews didn't like this very much  so  they  ofcourse  when
    they  referred  to  Babylon  they  referred  to a Hebrew word
    BOLLAL from which we get the word confussion; they didn't see 
    it as the gate of the Gods, but rather  as  confussion  which
    goes back to the original idea.  Our word of BABBLE of voices
    you  see this idea of confussion and was a derogatory word in
    their useage. 

        John new of this, and he knew of the concept  of  Babylon
    was  always  an  anathama  to  the  chikdren  of God.  It was
    through Babylon that God disciplined the people and took them
    captive.  About the time that they were taken  captive,  they
    were  promised  that  if  they were willing to shape-up, they
    would  be  delivered;  and so, particularily in Isaiah 21 and
    Jeremiah 51 the time comes when they  announce  that  Babylon
    has  fallen.    Nebuchadnezzer  had really made all the othre
    nations subservient to him and sort of intoxicated them  with
    his  power and his might, and because the nation reached such
    a point that they were nolonger of meaningful service in  the
    program  of  God  that  the prophets announced that they were
    fallen;  this was in prelude to their  deliverance.    You'll
    remember   that   they  Persians  went  in  and  defeated the
    Babylonians and the children of God were able to go  back  to
    their land, they were able to set up their Sancturary, it was
    able  to  be  restored, the worship of God was to be promoted
    again.  When John sees that the time is going  to  come  when
    God is going to come to His own, God is going to be glorified
    Gods' finally going to take a stand, He's not going to remain
    behind  the scenes.  It is going to take place at a time that
    Babylon has fallen.  So this reinforces  and  buttresses  the
    message  of the First Angel, that God is going to come to HIs
    own because Babylon had had it.  Hewasn't thinking  in  terms
    of  ancient  Babylon,  but  it  certainly  carried to him the
    connotation that what ever was existing in the days to  come,
    that  God  was  going to take a stand when human organization
    had exhausted the alternatives for good living. 

        So now he comes to this third message when he hears  this
    Third  Angel  giving  one  of  the most terrifing warnings to
    those who  reflect  the  characteristics  of  these   beasts.
    Babylon  representing all of the basic religous organizations
    which have fought against God.  This is what the symbol meant
    to John.  All of the great efforts of man that would  combine
    in  their  attack  on  God would ultimately be fallen.  There
    would be one last opportunity, not only  for  individuals  to
    come  out  of  Babylon,  but to understand that it was a very
    dangerous thing  to  receive  any  of   the   earmarks   that
    characterized  this  conglomerate  power.    We  look at this
    message that says if anyone  worship  the  beast  and/or  the
    image  of  the beast and receives his mark in his forehead or
    in his hand, why he's going to be tormented  night  and  day,
    and  he  is  going  to be burned with fire and sulfer and the
    smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever.    What  an
    ugly  picture  and  how could this be a message of love.  How
    could John receive any comfort from this unless you would say
    he was sadistic and suddenly would enjoy the  fact  that  God
    would  come down and wipe out the enemies.  But I don't think
    that is what John had in mind, nor is that what he understood
    and if we are going to understand what John  understood  when
    he  wrote this we are going to have to understand the culture
    of his day.  So now, let's go back again and  see  what  this
    meant. 

        There   was  a  time,  out-side  Jersualem,  (what latter
    developed as Jerusalem) that  the  heathens  errected  a  God
    called  Molloch,  in  which they burned little children in an
    effort to appease the God; and had all kinds  of  liscentious
    practices  associated  with  their  idolatry.  This became an
    anathama to the Jews and king Josiah  ultimately  wipped  all
    the alters, and because of the sins in what they did in terms
    of  burning  these human sacrifices, Jeremiah tells them that
    this is going to be a valley of ultimate slaughter, and where
    all of this took place was south of  Jerusalem  in  a  valley
    which  was  called  Hinom.    The Greek word is G'Hinom which
    means "the valley of Hinom" and Jeremiah says it is going  to
    become  a  valley of slaughter.  And it did become just that,
    because in latter years it became a  huge  garbage  pit,  out
    side  Jerusalem,  outside  the  temple  area where all of the
    things which were despised were thrown away.    It  became  a
    place for all kinds of refuse and garbage and they threw dead
    animals  out there and to anyone who was considered very base
    and very low, they never got  a  descent  burial,  they  were
    thrown  out into this pit.  This G'Hinom became the word that
    we understand  as  G'Hennah  which  is  the  word   that   is
    translated  as  Hell.    Christ  used  this  word many times,
    refering to this vast garbage pit.  Now what did that mean to
    the Hebrew mind?  It wasn't a place of suffering  because  it
    was  just  scraps  that  were  there  whether  it be human or
    animal, everything was just dead, and ofcourse there was  all
    kinds  of decay and a vast stench.  It was finally decided to
    keep the place abalze night and day, so they kept it  burning
    and  one  could go outside Jerusalem in that day and see this
    vast barbeque pit of dead flesh, and it stunk and  it  was  a
    horrible  mess.   But, the thing that made it so horrible was
    the fact that to anyone who was thrown out  there  they  were
    considered  an  out cast.  To the Jewsish mind they were very
    concerned with preserving their  lineage,  their  genealogies
    were  very  important  to  them,  and  to get to the point of
    having no identity, to be a nothing, to be on the scrap heap,
    was the worst end that anyone could ever come to.   It  meant
    to their mind that that they would loose their identity, they
    would  be  no-more, they would be utterly foresaken.  Many of
    the symbolisms that are described in this final  destruction;
    such  as  the  "worm  dieth not", well ofcourse there was all
    kinds of decay, and if the worms  didn't  get  you  the  fire
    would.  In one way or the other there was complete  anihalat-
    ion, and I'm not sure whay this has never really been brought
    out,  except  that  Satan  has  been  able  to  influence our
    thinking over the centuries to develop this concept of  purg-
    atory  as  a place of suffering.  If you can look and see and
    understand the language and cultur of that day, this is  what
    Jesus  was talking about.  He wasn't speaking literally, they
    had this concept and knew what He was talking about; it was a
    figure of speech, talking about total anihalation. 

        The  word   WRATH   is used.  It's interesting that this word 
    is used.  It is a very horrible word; we get  our  word  orgy
    from   it.     The  word  literally  means  a very passionate
    experience where the blood rushed to your head and the  blood
    vessels stand out, and you are just beside yourself with com-
    passionate   concern.     Why  did  God  allow  Himself to be
    portrayed in such language?  I can imagine that if God wanted
    to give one last message  that  He  is  going  to  allow  the
    prophets  to  describe  this  anihalation  as one of the most
    horrible events of all history.  And for God to allow Himself
    to be described in this way...   Other passages of  scripture
    portray God's wrath from the standpoint that He senses that a
    person is utterly beyond hope and HE must say to them; "There
    is nothing more I can do for you, except to leave you alone."
    This was the agony that Christ had on the Cross.   "Why  have
    You  foresaken  Me?"  Read Romans 1;  three times Gods' wrath
    is defined as where God  gets  to  a  point  where  there  is
    nothing  left  for  Him  to  do  for  the  individual who has
    suppressed the Holy Spirit, the Truth, such that they hold it
    down in unrighteousness and they will not have it; and  three
    times  His  wrath  is defined as let them alone, let them go.
    God is not adding anything to the sinner.  Sin is so horrible
    that God doesn't have to add anything.   The  worst  judgment
    that God can make is that there is nothing else I can do, you
    must  be  left  alone,  and  that is the worst thing that God
    could do to anyone.  But He has no-other choice,  and  it  is
    considered  a  strange act.  And so, when John sees this, all
    this symbolism, all this anihalation  the  worst  thing  that
    could  happen  to him as a Jew, this must be aweful, God must
    feel very strongly about this to send such a  message.    And
    certainly  when people sense the awefullness of what it means
    to be separated from God, and if you want to get a feeling of
    this look at the separation that Christ  experienced  on  the
    cross.  Christ was loosing His identity, He was foresaken, He
    felt  that He was a nothing.  That was so great that He sweat
    "great drops of  blood."    The  blood  surging  though   HIs
    capillaries was so great that it just broke through the walls
    in   His  stress.   Dr. Neis commented that he often wondered
    why Christ never became  psychotic,  because  anyone  who  is
    totally rejected, totally alienated, becomes psychotic. There
    is  no  other  alternative.    The  only reason Christ didn't
    become psychotic is that He was (is) such a balanced  person,
    He  was so in touch with reality and He had that trust in His
    Father that even though His senses betrayed Him and  He  felt
    the  full  impact of the wrath of God, unmixed without mercy,
    (this expression that we find in  Revelation)  that  it  just
    tore  Him  apart,  it  just  anihalated Him.  So this is this
    third Angels' message that John wrote down.  It  must  be  of
    tremendous moment that it could be so horrible. 

        Dr. Neis illustrated  this  with  the  example  of  theri
    daughter who  had  a traumatic experience on time in growing-
    up   of  becoming nauseated and throwing up; to her there was
    nothing worse than throwing up.  This was impressed on    the
    parents   one day when they overheard her tell her brother to
    quit riding his bike in the street.  She told him that if  he
    didn't  get  out  of  the street a car might come by and  run
    over him and kill him, and then he would throw-up. 

        I think, that at times, God wants  to  hit  us  where  it
    really  grabs us.  The first time that He really did this, of
    the stomach's turning point was when  Adam  was  required  to
    slay an innocent Lamb.  Some of you have been in an operating
    room  and  watched surgery; you have probbaly never forgotten
    the first time you heard the surgeons knife cutting open  the
    flesh.   I  observed an autopsy when I was in High school.  I
    stood six inches from the table while the  technician  opened
    the  chest  and  snapped  the ribs with some giant cutters, I
    haven't forgotten that sound.  I was reading the notes I took
    of the duty I stood in an emergency room  of  a  Hospital  in
    Salt  Lake  City  about 5 years ago, and it brought back some
    sensations of this wrath, when a little 7 year  old  boy  was
    brought  in  with  the tip of his finger cut off and I had to
    clean the hand and wound while  waiting  for  the  Doctor  to
    arrive  and  then  listen  to  him scraping the bone that was
    sticking out to really clean it before it was sewen  up;  and
    the  older  gentleman  who was working on his roof and ripped
    open the back of his hand on some loose flashing  around  the
    chimney,  to where it almost took his thumb off.  I have been
    at several automobile accidents where I have become nauseated
    at the damage to those involved. 

        I  don't have to imagine how Adam felt when  he slew that
    first Lamb;  I had to kill an animal once who was  suffering,
    and  I  had  to  shoot  it while it looked at me.  But I have
    become calloused through what happens on television and  what
    happened  in the concentration camps and Afganistan and South
    East Asia, Cambodia.  But Adam, he had never even seen death.  He
    must have said to God: "You are making me nauseated".  And  I
    can  imagine  God  agreeing, and saying that's exactly what I
    want you to experience; I want it to be so terrible that  you
    will  never forget the horribleness of what has happened.  If
    God really loves He has to reach people in the language  they
    understand.  This is what is being sayed to John.  There will
    be  a  message of God's love; God is going to stand-forth, He
    is going to be counted and  He  is  going  to  be  vindicated
    through  His saints, and it is going to be at a time when all
    human efforts have failed,  Babylon  has  fallen,    But  God
    pleads with them:  "Please come out of her.  Don't experience
    the  most  horrible anihalation that has ever occured.  Don't
    receive any of the ear marks of this character of the  beast.
    And  there  will  be a people who refuse these marks, because
    they will have the seal of God, the character of God. 

        The John is encouraged in the 12th verse where  he  says:
    "Ah,  here  is the patience, the endurance, the steadfastness
    of the saints.  They are loyal to God.  They  have  the  same
    faith  that Christ had."  And after seeing this very poignant
    very powerfull message John must  have  breathed  a  sigh  of
    relief:  "Here they are, they will make it, they will endure,
    and they will have this message."  That must have  encouraged
    John, speaking the language of his day. 

 

THIS PAGE HOSTED BY GET YOUR OWN