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Readings in the Book of
The Revelation
In this book of The Revelation all the other Bible books meet and end. All through this revelation past prophets’ messages are expanded, and allusions are made to Old Testament rituals, with new light shone on their meanings. John, the beloved disciple, was the one chosen to receive this revelation. He was the last survivor of the apostles and was honoured under the New Testament dispensation as the prophet Daniel was honoured under the Old Testament dispensation. They are “two witnesses”!
Many have entertained the idea that the book of The Revelation is a sealed book, or that it is too hard to understand and they will not devote time and study to its mysteries. They say that they are to keep looking to the glories of salvation, and that the mysteries revealed to John on the Isle of Patmos are not worthy of as much consideration as these. But the Son of God does not so regard this book – it was His last public message to us, a revealing of His way. In it are depicted some scenes that are now in the past, and some of eternal interest that are taking place right now around us. Others of its prophecies will not receive their complete fulfilment until the close of time, when the last great conflict between the powers of darkness and the Prince of heaven will take place.
It reveals the past, the present, and the future in a series of complete messages, or visions. Why? So we may co-operate with Him.
Thus we read:
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Revelation 1:
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him, to show to His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John: 2 who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
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Here we are given the understanding of how God’s kingdom operates. It has a very orderly system – a chain of command – and we are expected to act on His word as it is passed down that chain. This doesn’t mean that it has to work that way only, for we shall find as we read that the Son of God sometimes spoke directly to John while this manuscript was in process. However, generally it was an angel who gave the truths to John. In like manner, we will get our guidance from the words of the prophets as expressed in the Bible, not directly from the Spirit.
The Father shares an understanding with His Son, who then passes it on to an angel messenger. In the case of The Revelation the angel gave it to the prophet John on earth, through speech and visions. John then wrote these messages and visions in a book that we may refer to it again and again to refresh our memory and to make sure that we have not mistaken their import. We need a book now because of our faulty memories, but in the new world we shall not forget any detail at all and will be able to rely on our recollections. Behind all these visible communications is the Person known to us as the Holy Spirit, or Holy GHOST, because He is mostly invisible, although capable of being everywhere at once. He is able to reach our minds and impress us with the truth of what we read.
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1 Corinthians 2:
9 It is written, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him”. [Isaiah 64:4.]
10 But God has [now] revealed them to us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searches [and reveals] all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
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“Then said Jesus to them again, ‘Peace be to you: as My Father has sent Me, even so send I you’. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive you the Holy Ghost’.” John 20:21-22. As He said to His first disciples, so He says to us today. (This breath was not a picture of a Pentecost type of outpouring, but of the normal day-to-day guidance of the Spirit in missionary work.)
While on earth Jesus prayed, “I have manifested [shown] Your name [character] to the men which You gave Me out of the world: Yours they were, and You gave them [to] Me; and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever You have given Me are of You. For I have given to them the words which You gave Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from You, and they have believed that You did send Me . . . I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world . . . Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word; that they all may be one; as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that You have sent Me”. John 17:6-21.
The blessing:
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Revelation 1:
3 Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
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This procedure brings a special blessing to the one who reads the writing (preferably out loud to a congregation in a Bible study, for that was how it was done in the beginning), as well as to those who hear it with an ear in tune with the Spirit. Time and time again, the Spirit will connect other passages of scripture with the one being heard, and open up to the minds of the listeners whole new vistas of truth. As this happens the reader also experiences greater and greater depths to the scriptures.
Those who correctly hear these things will naturally want to order their lives in harmony with the understanding they have received from the words, and to share them with others, for that is the nature of Christianity.
The phrase “the time is at hand” although spoken and written nearly 2,000 years ago, has had meaning for every generation since then, because it refers primarily to the fact the book has revelations of particular interest to each generation. The words also have a secondary meaning in that each one of us has only so long on earth to accept or reject the call. Few of us know when the day of death will come, or in what manner, so the thought of the nearness of the end should always be close to our minds. But one day, the last generation will indeed live through all the experiences the Son of God has shown us over the last few weeks and then the end will come. In the meantime, we should be happy to follow through the writing and find our own generation’s place in it so that we know what God expects of us.
Let’s continue:
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Revelation 1:
4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia [present-day Turkey]:
Grace be to you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come [the ever-present One, the Father];
and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne;
5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful Witness, and the first Begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth. [This book is dedicated] to Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
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John addresses his book to seven literal branches of God’s church in what was at the time, a very important part of the Roman Empire, halfway between east and west. They were chosen because their local conditions were representative of the whole church over the 2,000 years since then, and because their conditions can be reproduced in individual Christians at varying times. (Seven is the Biblical number of completeness.)
Then, he introduces us to God the Father as the Originator of all things, the One with peace in His heart toward men. (Luke 2:14.)
He next described the Holy Spirit in His seven-branched role based on the candlestick of the sanctuary, for that building underlies much of the imagery in The Revelation. “And he [Bezaleel, the craftsman] made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick . . . six branches going out of the sides thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof [and one up the middle] . . . And he made his [its] seven lamps . . . of pure gold . . .” Exodus 37:17-24.
After that he points to the Son of God as the true Witness of God’s character, mentions the fact that He has come back from the grave as the first in importance of the resurrected ones (He was literally the eighth in time), and assures us that He is the King of kings. (The title “kings” John uses in the next phrase to apply to Christians who overcome, in line with Christ’s words, “To him that overcomes [himself] will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne”. Revelation 3:21. Kings are leaders, those that set the pace.)
Then John writes that the Son of God has “washed us from our sins in His own blood”. What does he mean by this? These words have been used in many sermons, Bible studies, and writings, without much attempt to explain them! Let’s see if we can find what God means by them.
If we take them literally (as some have attempted to do) it would mean that a sinner would have to be bathed in a viscous fluid which congeals quickly. No need to go down that road! (But see note 1 where a not very successful counterfeit of that is described.) Satan loves to have us concentrating on physical scenes instead of spiritual ones.
But, even speaking spiritually, the thought has led to much confusion and literalism. Nearly every talk I have heard on the subject has referred to it as the death of the Son of man on Calvary’s cross nearly 2,000 years ago. One problem with this is that it leaves out the people who lived during the 4,000 years before that, twice as many years as after the cross.
But at Calvary it was a human body which died of suffocation after a period of only six hours. (His two companions were still alive and suffering!) It is true that there was blood coming out of His side where the soldier pierced Him after death, for it is written, “When they came to Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, they broke not His legs [in accordance with the Passover lamb ritual, Exodus 12:46]: but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it [John] bares record, and his record is true: and he knows that he says true, that you might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, ‘A bone of Him shall not be broken’.” John 19:33-36.
But it is not THAT stream of blood which John is referring to when he writes that it “washed us from our sins”. It is the eternal sacrifice of the Son of God (not the Son of man) which does that. We need to keep those two aspects of His sacrifice clearly separate in our minds.
Speaking of the last days, the LORD says that the people of that time will have a more than normal outpouring of cleansing, “In that day there shall be a FOUNTAIN opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness”. Zechariah 13:1.
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Leviticus 17:
11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the [separated] blood [the sign of death] that makes an atonement for the soul . . . 13 And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunts and catches any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof [on the ground], and cover it with dust. 14 For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said to the children of Israel, “You shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eats it shall be cut off’ [it will cause his early death].”
Deuteronomy 12:
23 Only be sure that you eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and you may not eat the life with the flesh. 24 You shall not eat it; you shall pour it upon the earth as water. 25 You shall not eat it; that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, when you shall do that which is right in the sight of the LORD. [You’ll be a lot healthier if you don’t eat it.]
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So for us to be washed in His blood means that the effect of His eternal separation from the God of life is being applied to us.
This was shown to us in the ritual of the Passover instituted about 1500 years before Calvary, when the blood was sprinkled on the door posts of the house in which the firstborn of Israel were sheltering. While this ceremony looked forward in type to the Son of MAN’s death on the cross, it also pointed backwards to the Son of GOD’s “death” in the Garden of Eden for He is “. . . the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”. Revelation 13:8. The people of old could look forward to Calvary – we look back – but ALL OF US since the Garden have had to look to the PRESENT for salvation. None of us are saved by the death of the Son of man, but ALL of us are saved by the “death” of the Son of God!
It is obvious that the Son of God cannot “die” as we die, but one result of His eternal sacrifice was that He is now separated from His Father, and is forever encumbered with humanity. This became evident soon after His resurrection when He waited to speak soothing words to one of His disciples. “Jesus said to her, ‘Mary’. She turned herself, and said to Him, ‘Rabboni’; which is to say, ‘Master’. Jesus said to her, ‘Touch [delay] Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to My brothers [and sisters in the church], and say to them, “I ascend to My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God’.” John 20:16-17.
What happened at Calvary? It was there that the Son of man showed us something of what He as the Son of God is doing for new Christians right now. He showed us in His humanity what taking the “old man” (our sinful nature) is doing to Him as the Son of God. When he cleanses us at our conversion He takes the guilt and the power of our sinful nature and puts it in Himself. That exchange “kills” Him as it should kill us! Then He gives us a part of His life thereby diminishing His life even further. This is what it means to be “washed in His blood” (His “death” as God). This is a permanent arrangement, and is signified by His clothing Himself in humanity forever.
The death of the Son of man in six hours nearly 2,000 years ago was a picture of the “death” of the Son of God for the last 6,000+ years! (And it hasn’t finished yet!) It was THIS that John saw with spiritual eyesight.
Lateral thought:
As in the typical service of the sanctuary, the high priest laid aside his pontifical (coloured) robes and officiated in the white linen dress of an ordinary priest; so while on earth, Christ laid aside His royal robes and garbed Himself with humanity and offered sacrifice, Himself the priest, Himself the victim. (See note 2, Leviticus 16:4 and 6, in which He offers bull’s blood as a picture.) He did this by His whole-hearted dedication for the time before Calvary, and by His willing sacrifice at that time, and since.
“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins”. 1 John 4:10. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved”. John 3:16-17. “And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation [the job of proclaiming that fact]; to wit, [the good news] that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation”. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19.
But the Father is separated from His Son forever by His humanity. He “gave” Him to us!
Another thought:
“Washed” means “flushed, or soaked”, and this thought is also used with water and the word of God. “ . . . Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it [first] to Himself [then to His Father] a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish”. Ephesians 5:25-27. Let’s “immerse” ourselves in His word over the next few weeks and see what happens.
Bye for now, Ron
Some of the comments in these readings are adapted from books in my library. No recognition is given because they are not intended as authorities, but are used because they express my understanding clearly. All the ideas expressed in these readings, right or wrong, are my own. Some of these readings are available at http://www.oocities.org/weprotest.geo/BibleReadings/books_index.html
This cult was one of several which together challenged the spread of early Christianity by appealing to the Pagan mind.
http://eawc.evansville.edu/essays/mithraism.htm
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Mithraism
Alison Griffith
Reprinted with permission from the Ecole Initiative.
Mithraism is the ancient Roman mystery cult of the god Mithras. Roman worship of Mithras began sometime during the early Roman empire, perhaps during the late first century of the Common Era (hereafter CE), and flourished from the second through the fourth centuries CE. While it is fairly certain that Romans encountered worship of the deity Mithras as part of Zoroastrianism in the eastern provinces of the empire, particularly in Asia Minor (now modern Turkey), the exact origins of cult practices in the Roman cult of Mithras remain controversial (see below). The evidence for this cult is mostly archaeological, consisting of the remains of mithraic temples, dedicatory inscriptions, and iconographic representations of the god and other aspects of the cult in stone sculpture, sculpted stone relief, wall painting, and mosaic. There is very little literary evidence pertaining to the cult.
The Deity: Mitra, Mithra, Mithras
Mithras is the Roman name for the Indo-Iranian god Mitra, or Mithra, as he was called by the Persians . . . Mithra is the god of the airy light between heaven and earth, but he is also associated with the light of the sun, and with contracts and mediation [the covenant-keeper and mediator] . . .
The Roman cult of Mithras is known as a "mystery" cult, which is to say that its members kept the liturgy and activities of the cult secret, and more importantly, that they had to participate in an initiation ceremony to become members of the cult. [Some sources say that initiates were “baptised” in the flowing blood of a bull] . . .
In each mithraic temple there was a central scene showing Mithras sacrificing a bull . . . The bull-sacrificing scene is usually carved in stone relief or painted on stone and placed in mithraea in a visible location. In addition to this central scene there can be numerous smaller scenes which seem to represent episodes from Mithras' life. The most common scenes show Mithras being born from a rock, Mithras dragging the bull to a cave [which represented the dome of heaven], plants springing from the blood and semen of the sacrificed bull, Mithras and the sun god, Sol, banqueting on the flesh of the bull while sitting on its skin, Sol investing Mithras with the power of the sun, and Mithras and Sol shaking hands over a burning altar, among others. These scenes are the basis for knowledge of mithraic cosmology [teachings]
. . . The area where the concentration of evidence for Mithraism is the most dense is the capital, Rome, and her port city, Ostia . . . As the cult in Rome became more popular, it seems to have "trickled up" the social ladder, with the result that Mithraism could count several senators from prominent aristocratic families among its adherents by the fourth century CE. [And some say a few emperors, although this cannot be proved!] Back
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Leviticus 16:
4 He [the high priest] shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on [for the ceremony of Atonement] . . .
6 And Aaron shall [first] offer his bull of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. Back
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