Saturday, February 1, 2020

A Free Copy of "The Apocalypse and the Disciple"

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Forward: Jesus' Great Prophecy Conference

Jesus’ great prophecy conference would disappoint many Christians today.

Jesus is leaving the temple for the last time as He does so He has what amounts to His own prophecy conference.  The audience was very exclusive, His insights and explanation are being given to a very select few.   Jesus’ teachings are fascinating, powerful and convicting.  But they lack one thing that most prophesy conferences have and indeed have in abundance.  He provides no information, secret material about dates and times. In fact, in all the “prophecy conferences” Jesus held He had one consistent theme: “You will never know when.”

Let’s be honest if you were to ask Jesus “when” He would return He would tell you, “Do not struggle to establish when I will return”.  All exertions to figure out when He will return are wasted efforts.   Setting dates and offering a lot of hype about the latest international events may sell books and might even grow into a radio/TV show or ministry.   (One televangelist who has made this his focus has a reported network of 2.5 million dollars and lives in a home valued on the upside of $400,000.  Not a bad gig if you can get it.)  The problem is that date setters are always wrong.  But in the prophecy conference business when you are wrong you can always write a new book, based on a newer and better theory because a new innovative superior secret understanding that explains how a new insight makes your next set of predictions right on target and worth the money.

The following statements are not based on scientific research and exhaustive data.  They are not meant to be universally applicable.  They are, however, the observation I have had in my ministry.

Observation #1 Prophecy aficionados can’t focus on anything else. 
Knowing when, or at least knowing the latest prediction of the Eschatological Super Stars, is more important than any other part of the Christian life.  Minutiae are the name of the game, some vague and little known fact is the secret key to great esoteric knowledge.  Their lives as disciples may be a sham and a shame but they could tell you how the inflation of the price of goats’ milk in the Himalayas was a sign of the soon coming END. 

Observation #2 Prophecy aficionados are all but useless.
Asking a prophecy aficionado to serve in the local church is like asking a wine snob to do manual labor in a vineyard.  Will prophecy aficionados volunteer in the ministry of the church?  Rarely.  Will they invite their friends to come to church? They will only invite other prophecy aficionados and only if you are hosting a prophecy conference.  Will they help with a service project or volunteer with summer youth camp?  No, they are using their vacation time to attend a prophecy conference, which happens to be at a 4-star resort.  Will they teach a Bible class?  Yes, but only if they can teach Revelation and prophecy, over and over again.

Observation #3 Prophecy aficionados do more harm than good.
Can prophecy aficionados make disciples of their friends? They don’t have friends.  Their dogmatism and their dire warnings about the rapture have alienated everyone in their lives except other prophecy aficionados.  Their shrill warnings about end times may have a short-term, evangelistic intent, but when they are wrong so often the new believer will lose confidence and see Christianity as a scam.

But rather than spend all of my time cursing the darkness allow me to light a candle.  Think of this volume as a paper prophecy conference.  But it will not cover the issues that you might expect. In addition to saving a lot of money by not going to a big name prophecy conference at a four star hotel you will actually get something worth your while.  This paper prophecy conference has two main parts.

Part #1 Do not focus on the signs of when the Lord Jesus will come again.  It is a waste of time because neither you nor your writer is that smart.

Part #2 Focus on the signs of how we can remain loyal to Jesus.  This prophecy conference focuses on how He can come into our lives, circumstances and situations as Lord and Savior.  Then live under His Lordship as if everyday is the day of His return.


When we live every moment as if Jesus is coming in our conversations, lives, actions and thoughts we will live out His intended purpose for prophecy.

Introduction

Rome AD 105

It was the stench that was the worst.  The heat was awful; it was as if the air in this cell had not moved in years, it only got more foul and hotter.  The prisoner leaned against the wall.  There was no place to sit except the floor and it was too filthy to sit on the floor.  The stones themselves seemed to radiate heat.  There was the smell of urine and excrement.  The corner of the cell was a make shift toilet.  But more than a few of the former occupants of this cell had lost control of their bowels where ever they stood so the entire floor was to some degree a toilet.   There was also the smell of blood and decaying flesh mixed with the animal smells.  He felt the bile rising up in his throat again; he swallowed against the urge to vomit and wondered how much of the air he breathed contained the remnants of vomit from other prisoners. 

It was quieter than one might expect in the corridors of this misery.  There was an occasional moan, the sound of frightened voices now and again.  There were animal sounds from a different part of the chambers.  One might expect that a jail this large and apparently full would be loud with protest, curses and pleadings.  It was, at least in this underground section, peacefully silent.  The noise came from above in the open air.  There was a general rumble that would occasionally crescendo into a scream and then turmoil of cheering.

This was the Festival of Salus. She was the goddess of safety and well being, of welfare, health and prosperity for individuals, but most of all for the glory of Rome. It was said that all those who would swear allegiance to Rome and to Salus would receive welfare, pardon and forgiveness of all the crimes committed against the empire, that was almost certainly a cruel lie. The Prisoner reasoned that it was because of this appeal to hope that the Christians had been gathered in the stadium. They would face a terrible choice.  Would they place their hope in this unseen, unknown character Jesus? Or would they place their hope in the might and the power of Rome represented by the masses of crowds, by the Emperor or by the great buildings? 

It was hope that had attracted the Prisoner to the religion of Jesus. Having accomplished much in his life there were very few things that he needed. But somehow life seemed to be empty and pointless. The riches he had inherited from his father, the glory he had earned as a soldier, the home he had in Rome and the villa in the countryside, the slaves, the mistresses, the intrigues, and the power all somehow left him empty.  So, when he saw a friend whose life was much like his own undergo a dramatic change he wondered. As this friend demonstrated life and hope and joy that had eluded the Prisoner, he asked and acquired and learned about the hope and this one named Jesus. 

It was only a year-and-a-half since he began following the strange new religion but the change was immediate and glorious. Even as a persecuted minority it was worth the cost of being a disciple of this one from Galilee. He knew that one day he might have to make great sacrifices because he was a follower. But because Jesus was his Lord and his King who sacrificed for him, sacrifices were part of what he committed to do should they ever come. 

They came two days ago. The demand of the sacrifices came in the form of a soldier who arrested him.  A slave betrayed him; he, his wife and his two children were taken. Watching his children die was the worst moment he ever experienced.  But he wasn’t the only father to watch his son die.  Wondering what ever became of his wife haunted him. And now he waited his turn in the Coliseum. 

He would walk out onto the floor of the arena where the emperor would grant him one chance to swear his loyalty to Rome and to Salus to be forgiven, to have all that was his restored, to re-enter the life of a Roman nobleman. Should he accept the offer of the goddess Salus he would return to his wealth, his peace, and his prosperity. His wife might be dead, but the emperor would give him a new one; he could have other children. He could return to the years before Christ with wealth and mistresses and slaves and a life built entirely around himself. Or he could refuse the offer and he would die having lost everything and his own life would be forfeit. 

Because he had served in the legions they might give him a sword and make him a gladiator against younger, stronger men. They might give him a sword and allow him to fight his way against hyenas or lions. Whatever was planned if he refused the offer to sacrifice to Caesar and Salus, he would never leave the stadium alive. His death might be quick, but more likely it would be slow and painful.

How does one willingly and joyful give up everything and agree to die miserably for the sake of a carpenter from Judea Palestine? It is because in the last year the Prisoner had learned that all the attacks of Darkness and Evil, all the power of wrong were nothing but an expression of the influences of a war against God and God's people. They had read again and again The Apocalypse of John from which they learned in every page and every paragraph that suffering and hardship are inevitable. They are not unexpected and they need not provoke fear.

As he heard and as he read the Revelation he could see the attacks on his faith, on the church, on his morals and convictions from the powers of Darkness portrayed throughout the entire letter. The realization that although the enemy would win minor victories along the way, he would ultimately be defeated and this gave the Prisoner the strength that he needed as he lived his faith, said goodbye to his wife and children, as he stood in a stinking, filthy cell. It would give him the resolve and the courage that he would stand before Trajan and he would declare that Jesus Christ the Messiah is Lord. Ceasar is not Lord. Christ is Lord and for that he would die and in that he would win.

This account of historical fiction gives us some insight to understanding and applying the book of Revelation.  There are a great many theories about the meaning of the book of Revelation, not all of them can be correct.  Any interpretation of the last book of the Bible that would not have helped a prisoner understand and stand firm in the face of persecution is an interpretation that needs to be viewed with great suspicion.  As disciples of Christ in any age we need to be less concerned with chronology than with holiness, less concerned with putting current affairs on a chart of prophecy than the call to follow Christ in the face of hardship.


Perhaps it is because in America we have not faced meaningful and painful persecution that we as Christians have become so distracted by times and epochs.  As we read Revelation we must do so with this thought in mind, “How does this call me to faithfulness to Christ in the face of persecution, torture and the threat of death?”  It is very unlikely that a prisoner facing the death in an arena would have found encouragement in a 20th century, distant prophecy about a computer (what- ever that might be) that was going to read a micro chip (whatever that might be) and thereby was going to connect the whole world to the Internet (whatever that might be).  Revelation is for every age.  If an interpretation would not have helped believers in every age, that interpretation needs to be rethought.   Rather, let’s read this wonderful book from the perspective of a disciple who wants to follow Christ no matter the cost. 

Chapter 1

Revelation 1:1-8

The greatest problem we face when studying or reading Revelation is the a priori assumption of the purpose of the book.  Most of the teachers and writers who deal with Revelation act as if the book is about future history. It is treated as a cheat sheet for a timeline allowing Christians to know events before they happen. If we begin with this presumption we fall into a morass of confusion trying to match the descriptions in Revelation to events in history and link them to current or near events. This has been a repeated failure of the church and of sects for years.

In this passage there are two references to time in verses 1 and 4 totaling about 10 words. There is in this passage depictions and descriptions of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, of angels and the church in every verse. This book is just barely about time at all.  It is almost entirely about the forces of righteousness and its ultimate victory over the powers of evil. This is a panoramic vision of the defeat of the World, the Flesh, and the Devil at a cosmic level. It is especially important because in life it often feels like evil is winning. 

Verses 4 through 8 are almost a summary of the whole book and all of history in every age. It is also a beautiful hymn of praise. This expression of praise begins with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (v. 4 and 5) and ends with the Alpha and Omega, the Eternal One the Almighty God (v. 8). In the middle is the story of our Redemption and our sharing in His victory (v 5 – 7).  The grandeur of God and the salvation He provides and our sharing in that salvation makes the obsessions with dates and charts pale into insignificance.   Our fixation on charts, time lines and graphs about dates, chronology, currency, and marks, ends up seeming just a little shallow and silly.

This book was written into a world of incredible suffering and persecution for God's people. They lived in a world where it seemed that evil was the stronger and would ultimately prevail. Into this dark world there comes this message: The whole universe, time, history, and everything else is under God's control and He with His people shall prevail. To understand this book don't look at history or time; but rather, look to God and His victory and glory.


Questions to ponder.

Of what value would a book about the last few years before Christ’s return be to a first century believer who is suffering for their faith?

Why would a book about the conflict between God and His enemies, that is being played out in the world, be useful in every age?

What apparent evidence that the powers of darkness are winning in the world today do you see?  Could harshly persecuted Disciples feel that maybe they were mistaken and that they chose the wrong side?

Why would God choose not to tell us about the ‘when’ of Jesus’ return?


Why do you think there are so many resources about times of Christ return?  What does that tell us about our churches and ourselves?

Chapter 2

Revelation 1:9-20

It is important to note where this passage and this whole book begin.  John begins with suffering having been exiled to Patmos and sharing in the tribulations, but still persevering.  There is one article, “the”, which is applied to three nouns.  In doing so John links the three into a single unit or reality.  They are three expressions of the same thing.  These three nouns are suffering, kingdom, and perseverance.  Faithfulness or perseverance in the midst of the certainty of suffering is part and parcel of being part of the Kingdom.   It is not that suffering is an unexpected aberration and perseverance or endurance is something we have to do.  Rather suffering is to the kingdom life what labor is to pregnancy, or muscle strain is to a work out.  It is an absolute and necessary part of and the fulfillment of the experience.  Through out most of history being a part of the Kingdom of God meant suffering through which the disciple persevered. 

Why didn’t John simply “name and claim” his way out of the suffering?  One possibility is that John was ignorant of his authority to name and claim personal peace and prosperity into his life.  Another possibility is that John lacked adequate faith.  A third possibility is that suffering, perseverance and the kingdom are so linked together that God works in and through these, rather than extracts us out of them. 

John hears a loud voice and when he turns to see the voice he is so terrified that he falls like a dead man.  Maybe he fainted and maybe he simply lost all strength because of being overwhelmed.  The power and glory and symbolism cause John to collapse.   John was no young novice; he has seen and experienced plenty.  John has seen the worst you could find on earth, but is terrified by the best of Heaven.  Completely overcome by what he saw he falls into a heap.  What revives him is the touch of the right hand of what terrified him.  We mustn’t miss this point: what devastates us by its grandeur and glory will lift us up with its gentleness.

Perhaps the reason we are lacking in the personal touch of the Savior is that we have lost or have never known the fear of the Almighty.  Having reduced Jesus to a personal domestic or wingman, having tried to turn God into a vending machine that dispenses goodies, we have lost the fear and awe of God.  Having lost any fear of God, we are incapable of the comfort of God.  WE do not have His comfort because all we want are trinkets.  As suffering and endurance are part of the Kingdom, so fear is a critical part of comfort. 

Questions to ponder.

When do you find Jesus most terrifying?  Why?

One old prayer reads: “Imprint on our hearts such a dread of Thy judgments, and such a grateful sense of Thy goodness to us as may make us both afraid and ashamed to offend Thee.”
Why if, in view of the fact that God has appointed Christ to be our Judge, do we not fear His judgments enough to avoid behaviors that we know will offend Him?

Does the fact that Christ loved us with such passion that He gave himself for us in His death cause us to be ashamed of even thinking about doing those things that add to the burden of His Cross?


Do we see Jesus as being great enough to be King and Master of this world, or do we see Him absent and disengaged from life, or only involved in His little part of reality?  How does our opinion affect the way we live?

A Free Copy of "The Apocalypse and the Disciple"

Here is how you can get a free copy of “The Apocalypse and the Disciple.”   To the right you will find blog entries for each chapter and on...