A "Little Flock"? Really? (Ten Years)

Originally published on Friday, December 10, 2010

Text: Revelation 7

Christian denominational groups that are proud of how smart, or special they are, like to refer to Christ's depiction of His "little flock." The flock is little. There can't be too many people saved. So, our little group must be the little flock!

With a vast universe to fill, I think we cut God way short when we assume that His salvation is only for a few. Eternity is a concept we simply do not fully understand.

These four angels came along with the four winds of the earth, to wipe everything clean. But before they were allowed to do so, another angel came forward and stopped them. First, the 144,000 from among the children of Israel, were spared. But then . . .

Next I looked and saw a great crowd, beyond anyone's power to count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb . . .

In 2010, we have become quite sophisticated in counting people. We do this via the census, and today ultra-powerful computers are used to accomplish the task. Imagine a number of people so great, that no one can count!

God has great things in store for us. We had better start treating all other humans as our brethren. For this is exactly what they are!

© Copyright 2010 Gordon Darr

The Lamb Revisited - TEN YEARS!

Originally published Thursday, December 9, 2010

The Scripture reference is Revelation 6

From a Lamb that was slaughtered, and lives again, clothed in light and majesty, we turn now to a comical notion: a Lamb that conquers and strikes fear into the hearts of His enemies!

And the kings of the earth and the biggest names, and the military brass and the wealthy and the strong, and everyone, slave or free, all hid in caves and inside the crevices of mountains, and they say to the peaks and crags, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the occupant of the throne and from the fury of the Lamb!"

Add to the ludicrous scene, the even more ridiculous plea of the powerful leaders of earth, to hide from this being that came out of nowhere, and seems to be everywhere! The earth is shaking, dead are rising, cataclysm is everywhere, and our "leaders" (go ahead, picture some of them in your mind, as you read this!) think they can get away!

It reminds me the typical movie plot, where the evil guy is full of bravado, until his own life is in danger, at which point he turns into a simpering fool, begging for mercy. They could say "You win, Lord - please take me with you." But instead, on cue, they display their cowardice and prove themselves unworthy ("worthy" is a good Revelation word).

How about we take this one idea from this passage:

Why would we want to seek for worldly power and prestige in this life? In Revelation, the book that wraps it all up, we find the lowest of humanity being the ones that win. We know this. We talk about it. We teach our young about it.

But we don't do it.

The Lamb - Do We Really Get This? (TEN YEARS!)

Originally published Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Scripture reference is Revelation of John Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of Revelation - It is an entire chapter devoted to the Lamb that has been slaughtered, and how only this Lamb, of all creatures that ever lived, is worthy to open a mysterious "Book of all Books". Presumably, this is the Book of Life.

Only one Person in all of history is able to read the names written in the Book of Life. Only One Person can pronounce the final destiny of all people, and of the World.

Just as Only One could pay the price for our sins, so could this same One Person be the only one to execute the judgment of the World, to make things right and whole, to provide eternal life to those that have claimed His sacrifice as their own, and therefore, made themselves worthy. The One found worthy, makes us worthy.

In the reading, there is an image of this Lamb of God, standing, with His throat slit. There He is before us, bearing the scars of our sins. We have heard about the holes in his hands, and in his side. Now to this picture is added a gruesome slash across His throat. Do we think about this, or just quickly read through it, and on to the passage which we hope is less graphic and more pleasant?

I regret to say that I have viewed images of this very thing, of humans as well as slaughtered animals. The word "slaughter" is most accurately used in the context of slitting a throat of an animal intended for dinner. When applied to humans, it is particularly revolting. The concept takes on a disturbing and dark aspect. Our Lord was slaughtered, in a most terrifying way. We cannot bear the thought.

It is fitting that the Lamb that was slaughtered should be given the power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.

Not Bill Gates. Not George Soros. Not Joe Biden. Not Donald Trump. Not Xi Jingping. 

Not a 1%-er.

Not a celebrity.

Not a professional athlete.

Not a glitzy, silver-tongued politician. 

The Only One with Power, Wealth, Wisdom, Strength, honor, glory, and blessing . . . is a human, slaughtered like a Lamb for mutton. 

But it is the way it needed to be. Death itself is terrible, and throughout God's Scripture we are reminded of this, again, and again. This is why death is portrayed as so awful. It is why sin is so brutally treated. God never wanted us to sugar-coat death. In the end it doesn't matter how we die. The outcome is the same.

So that the One found worthy of opening the Book, was the one the least deserving of death, but who suffered death in the cruelest and most humiliating way.

His scars. His wounds. His bruises. These became features that we can now look upon without fear or grief. Like badges of honor, they are what make him worthy to be the One to grant us life.

A Glimpse of Eternity: TEN YEARS

 

First published on Tuesday, December 7, 2010

These comments are based on Revelation 4

The Apostle John was the last surviving of the Original Twelve Apostles. He lived out his life and died a natural death on the Island of Patmos. Apparently, it takes old men appropriately to receive the most profound prophetic messages from God. Daniel, as I understand it, was quite old when he received prophecies in the Old Testament. In fact, Daniel, is the John of the Old Testament. The two served the same function during both periods. It will be interesting to see them when they first meet, at Christ's return.

John words, I think, were insufficient to describe what he was seeing: a door in the sky, rainbows, thrones, crowns of gold, shining white garments  . . .

I think that he used the best words he could to describe these visions. An eagle, a lion, a calf, a human face. I do not necessarily believe that he was seeing these things, literally. But he used the best words he could find, to describe them.

Now, to these 24 elders: I like to think they are the twelve patriarchs of Israel (Jacobs sons), and the Twelve Apostles. John had entered into eternity. While these 24 men had not been resurrected in our timeline, yet in the eternal realm, they live, for eternity has no chronology. It is a single place and point in time, an ever-present Now.

John might have scanned the group of men, and seen himself sitting among them. We have tantalizing questions:

* Was Judas in the group? Or did Matthias make this august assemblage? Perhaps Paul was among them?

* They are represented as kings that throw their crowns at the foot of the Almighty. When will they be crowned? Are they made kings at their resurrection, at Christ's return? Is there some big ceremony where we can witness this?

* Or maybe I am completely off here. Perhaps we can identify 24 major national groups in world history, that may be represented by these 24 elders. But since the term "elder" is used, I am more prone to ascribe the term to Hebrew and Church leaders.

They sing this hymn, so often used as a proof text for the Trinity:

Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God, ruler of all,
The Was, and the Is and the Shall Be.

In this case, why can't we just stay with the context? If the context of the passage provides a sufficient explanation, there is no need to harmonize with cryptic scriptural connections found in other parts of the Bible. So that . . .

Holy is the Was
Holy is the Is, and,
Holy is the Shall Be.

God is Holy thrice over, because He occupies the past, present, and future, all at the same time.

If we can so glimpse eternity through the eyes of John, and understand that it is with us already (as is Christ's Kingdom, which we are building), then what are we worried about?

Hot or Cold! TEN YEARS!

 

First published on Monday, December 6, 2010

These comments are based on Revelation 3

For today's comments, I choose to discuss the most famous statement from Revelation Chapter 3.

I know what you do, that you're neither hot nor cold. You should be either hot or cold!

I know that I spent a good deal of my life going for the mediocre. Perhaps we all could say that. Taking a marriage that you know is going to be a project, is lukewarm. Making career choices that you know are not in your talents, is lukewarm.

Having a vision, but putting it on hold for years, because you are concerned about how others will receive it, is lukewarm.

We have got to do what's right, and to trust God to make the right outcome.

Look, we confuse worldly "hot" with godly "hot." I have seen a number of young men and women basically ruin their lives, for choosing as a spouse someone that's "hot." But then this "hot" match becomes to them a lifetime of spiritual mediocrity, when their partner doesn't support, even fights against, their Christian walk. The really hot spouse is the one that can turn you onto the godly life. One that sets you aflame with passion for the Lord.

How many of us thought that a "hot" career was one that brought in the big bucks? I wanted thirty years of success in business and government, during which I would accumulate great wealth that could be lavished upon God's work in the final third of my career. This is not hot. It is mediocre. The really hot careers are the ones where you are on the front lines, building the Kingdom. When that is your mission, the rewards take care of themselves. Salary doesn't matter, for that is not the point.

These decisions were not for "cold." They were mediocre, for they attempted to mix the World and the Lord. A cold decision is one that pursues worldy ends with no regard for the Lord.

I was lukewarm. And so are many of you.

First Things - TEN YEARS!

 

First published Friday, December 3, 2010

The comments are based on Revelation 2

How fitting is it, that the final book of the Bible begins with a plea that we go back to where we started?

But I have one thing against you: you've lost the love you used to have.

Revelation is commonly thought of as a book about the future. But if we do this only, it is like giving ourselves a pass. "Don't get too worked up, unless you see these things happening. When and if you do, then you had better change!"

But John writes to the Ephesians, and to us today - to get back to where we started! I want to focus on it being a call for us not to stop our study of Scripture, once finished with Revelation! We might be tempted to take a break once we have finished this book. But perhaps the point is to look at Bible study as more of a cycle, than a straight-line activity. The One who is The First and The Last says for us to go back to the beginning. There is no ending point - not yet anyway.

The Book that follows Revelation, is Genesis. And indeed, God's view of eternity may be just that. To Him, our time-line is a single point. If you have been through all of Scripture (Which I have been doing, for ten years), then it is time to start all over again.

So go back - your study of the Bible was only a preparation to read it all over again.

And maybe therein lies the secret to us regaining the agape love we had lost along the way.

Don't Be Afraid - TEN YEARS!

 Originally published Thursday, December 2, 2010

The commentary is based on the Revelation of John, Chapter One

By the time John had his encounter with Christ, on the Isle of Patmos, he was an old man. The sole surviving Apostle from the Original Twelve, he also was the only one to die a natural death. The Lord had a special mission for him. He was the one whom "Jesus loved." He was the one entrusted to care for Mary, mother of our Lord, after Christ left this earth. Martyrdom was the fate of all of the Twelve, except for John. As the one that wrote so much about love, and light, John became the one most suited to receive these visions.

Jesus had seen, and done, it all. We do not know what happened during the silent years of his life, between boyhood when he was left behind at the temple, and his adulthood, when he began his ministry by turning water into wine. Perhaps he had been taken on a fantastic voyage of discovery, fellowshipping with the Father, being trained and prepared by Him.

At any rate, Christ's knowledge of eternity, and of the universe, was by then complete. He had even experienced death, and rebirth. One who has died and then come back to life has nothing more to learn. What more could there be?

And so he was able to say, with confidence:

Don't be afraid. I am the first and the last and the most alive.

The glorified Christ, standing before John, in Heavenly splendor, struck fear into John's heart. Here he was, next to a man whose very presence channeled eternity into John's finite, time-based realm.

But Christ had full knowledge, total courage, and complete love. He was and is everything. And he spoke words to John, and across the centuries, to us. Follow someone like that. This is exactly the one thing that we need.