Seven Angels [part two] ...

The message of John continues as he reveals a series of proclamations by seven angels who deliver them at the end of time.  In our prior study we learned that they begin with a message of world-wide importance, the gospel or redemption of Christ is here.  Its relevance is even more important because the hour is late, and the final disposition of evil in the world is soon to be at its end.  Those who embrace through submission the gift of Christ, are to be made free from the evil that lives within them.  Those who refuse this gift, are left to struggle and fail against their own evil natures, a battle against the slavery of self-service that without Christ, simply cannot be won.  The second angel delivers the sad lament, that the great city of Babylon has fallen, has fallen.  What was once hoped to be the pinnacle of social order, prosperity, and enlightenment, has become corrupted by greed and avarice and is now fallen.  These two proclamations find extraordinary relevance to us, in our day, in our nation.  They proclaim to us the importance of freedom from evil that only Christ can bring.  And they open our eyes, that our nation, and perhaps even our corporate church structures, have fallen from what they once were.  We are not to be blinded by living looking backwards at former glory, but instead we are to look forward to the fullness of Christ in us.

Now, the next proclamation is to be revealed.  This one will carry even more weight to us, than it perhaps did to the readers in John’s day.  John continues in chapter 14 of his book of Revelations of Jesus Christ in verse 9 … “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, [verse 10] The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:”  First we must note that the emergence of the mark of the beast, does not occur until after the third beast has been identified.  Worship of a false beast, or of anything outside of Christ, has long been a problem for mankind.  So in that sense, it is possible to have seen a fulfillment of this warning in any age.  However, there is special significance to the placement of mark of the third beast in the forehead or in the hand, and with respect to the timing of this proclamation.  It all occurs AFTER the emergence of the third beast.

The reception of the mark of the third beast can occur in our foreheads.  How we think, what we want, what we declare, what motivates us, are aspects of who we are.  They form the basis of our identity as individuals.  To sacrifice our service to Christ, in order to maintain our prosperity, is to reveal our identity as unaligned with heaven.  It is this challenge to our identity that the mark of the beast is intended to reveal.  Should we choose worldly expediency over the freedom within us Christ offers, we declare we are followers of the beast and the dragon behind him.  The intent is to “force us” into this declaration.  Should we steadfastly adhere to Christ, and refuse to deny him, the beast intends to deny us commerce of any kind.  We will not be allowed to buy or sell until we give up our voluntary, but sworn allegiance to Christ.  We are to be starved to death, excluded from prosperity, cast out of jobs, homes, and relationships, until we submit ourselves to the beast.  Or so are his intentions.

But the reception of the mark of the third beast can also occur in our hands.  What we do, how we act, the results of who we are, are revealed by our lives.  We do in essence what we want.  This is why our desires and thoughts and motives are so important.  It is why the freedom of Christ, is not found in our actions first, but rather in our hearts first.  When we sin, it is because we continue to desire to sin in our hearts.  We still “want” things we should not want.  We therefore “do” things we should not do.  The actions reveal the heart, even if they do not define it.  If our identity as followers of Christ is revealed to be false, it will be seen in what our hands find to do.  The journey towards perfection is not an instant one.  Along the road, we fall because we have not learned to fully trust, and fully submit.  Our human nature recoils at the idea of “giving up” some indulgence we have long fostered.  But over time we begin to see that what Christ wants for us, is actually better than anything we wanted for ourselves.  What He does, He does within us, changing who we are from the inside out.

After that kind of transformation, our hands remain a clear indicator of our hearts.  The difference is that after the transformation by Christ of who we are, of what we want – what we do is something different.  Many believers in the end of time will be content to never declare against Christ with their mouths, but will be equally content to never submit and be changed either.  While their lips will never deny Him, their hearts will.  Thus their hands will reveal their true disposition, and their true identity.  They follow Christ with their mouths, but are not interested in having their lives altered to follow Him with their hearts.  Despite a lack of declaration, they follow the beast without even knowing it.  They live self-deceived that they are Christians, blinded to the hate for others in their words and deeds.  They are not in harmony with the law of God, because at its core serving self precludes us from harmony with a law based on serving others.  In this condition our hands become the revelation that we have assumed the mark of the beast.  It is the worst of all worlds.  Still forbidden to conduct commerce, and persecuted for a lack of public declaration, but neither are they made free from sin within them, for a lack of submission to Christ.  To exist in this state of misery, it will not be long before the lips begin to echo what the hands already state.

Whether through open declaration, or through actions that reveal our choice, the rejection of the gospel of Christ has the same results.  It leaves us slaves to ourselves.  It leaves us servants of the beast.  It leaves us in a state of perpetual hunger, where good is just never quite good enough.  When the heart hungers to please itself, there is no end to the hole it must fill.  Drug addicts can never seem to get enough drugs to be “happy”.  The rich and powerful can never seem to get enough wealth to make them “happy”.  Those who seek sexual fulfillment can never seem to find enough of it, to make them “happy”.  Our sins of self-service reveal the fundamental flaw in the arguments of Satan; nothing will ever truly make us happy in his systems, because they are not designed to do so.  To abandon self-service and choose to love only others, is the way of God, not of His enemy.  So to divert away from the perfect fulfillment God offers leads to only one other course, misery and eventually a longing for death to see the misery end.

The wine of the wrath of God, is simply when God ceases to intervene to spare us from the consequences of our own actions and choices.  When it is poured out without mixture, or dilution, into the cup of His indignation, we are left completely unshielded from the course we have embraced.  The love of God, for even those who steadfastly choose to remain His enemy, has long kept these erring ones from bearing the full weight and consequences of the evil they do.  At the time of the end, when the mark of the third beast comes into existence, when the forced choice and compulsion of conscience becomes the norm – it is then when the removal of the protections of God even upon the wicked will be withdrawn.  God’s indignation at our refusal to accept His love, and instead continue to choose pain and death, will have exhausted His patience.  Those who have consistently through words or deeds blasphemed His name and trampled on His love, will now feel the full effects of the choice they have made.  The final attempt by the enemy and beast to compel the conscience on a worldwide basis will be the last act permitted in his constant series of attacks.  It will be this final challenge to our identities, that will end the patience of God with evil in this world.

Finally, the ultimate disposition of evil, is to be cleansed with fire before the Lamb, and the angels at the end of all things.  There is to be no further redemption or reclamation at that point.  What is done is done.  What has been chosen is to be respected for all eternity.  Those who have chosen to submit to Christ and be transformed by Him, will remain “holy still”.  Those who have refused the love of God, and freedom He offers, are to have their choices respected too – and put to rest in final fires for all time.  John continues in verse 11 … “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. [verse 12] Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”  The final penalty is to be a permanent one, bearing permanent consequences.  The smoke, or evidence of the consumption of evil, and the torment which evil inevitably brings, is to rise up forever and ever.  Those who meet the final fires are to exist no more for all eternity.  They are to become consumed in these fires, nothing left of the evil and torment of their lives, but the residual smoke seen rising in the aftermath.  This is the final disposition discussed several times in His book of Revelations.

However, the warning is not just about avoiding the final disposition of evil.  Heaven is not merely a fire escape.  Those who worship the beast and his image, those who have taken the mark of the third beast into the heads or hands, are to have no rest neither day or night from the choices they have made.  Long before the final fires, the way of the enemy is not one of luxury and ease.  He sells them that way.  But even those of means find, there is only emptiness and stress.  Our anxiety flows from worry that we will not maintain what we have amassed, nor obtain the next level of wealth we seek.  The stress of never being content, never being secure, never having enough, will plague those who are permitted to conduct commerce for their sworn allegiance to the beast and his image.  Sleep is lost to worry.  Lives are lost to hearts failing for fear and stress.  Rest is lost altogether, for none can be taken without the trust in God required to enjoy it.  Neither during the day, when we focus our efforts at work to obtain that next goal; or at night when we try to unwind from the day filling our minds with distractions and meaningless indulgences – do we ever find real rest or relaxation.  Stress is ever present.  The ways of those who accept the mark of the third beast, who deny their identities as followers of Christ, are ways of want, hunger, pain, and a longing for death.

The acquiescence to the power of the state, and its ideas of legislated morality, do not bring rest (as promised), but rather only increased stress.  Despite our continued ability to conduct commerce and avoid a physical death (in theory), the stress of filling a hunger that cannot be filled is something that can never go away.  Death is its only release.  Torment is not something reserved for the physical pain of final all-consuming fires, it is the condition we find ourselves already in when we refuse to accept the gift of relief that Jesus Christ alone can bring.  It was He who said to come to Him and find rest.  Those who adopt the mark of the third beast, are in so doing, moving as far from Christ as possible.  Therefore they are moving as far from rest as possible.  The revelation of John was intended to bring all this to our attention NOW, before we find ourselves having taken on this dreaded mark.  It was to make us see, that our lives under the system and slavery of the beast constitute nothing short of torment NOW.  Forget the final fires that will eternally purge evil from the universe, we should be seeking that purge today within us.  To be freed from evil here while still living is the message of good news of the gospel of love.

It is in this context that John declares “here are the patience of the saints”.  It is our steadfast faith in Jesus Christ alone as the sole source of our salvation that sees us transformed to be in harmony with His laws, and enable us to keep them, perfectly serving others and not ourselves.  Here is where rest is found.  Here is where stress is thrown out the window of our lives.  Here is where a trust in God replaces our anxiety about keeping and growing “our stuff” with a peace we have yet to experience.   Contentment replaces hunger.  Rest replaces stress.  Peace replaces anxiety.  These are the gifts He so longs to give us in the here and now.  There is no reason to wait to see this enacted in us.  The patience of the saints is revealed in our recognition this process may take time, but its results are eternal and worthy, and the reason we can worship and bow ONLY to Him who offered them to us.  Our gratitude to Christ for what He does within us, cannot be made to be silent.  We cannot deny Him either with words, or with what our hands find to do, because our hearts are in pure sympathy with Christ.  We begin to love like He loves, without pre-condition, or limitation of any kind.  And this love changes us, and the entire world we encounter.  For it is His love, reflected through us.

John concludes the message of the third angel in verse 13 as he reveals … “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.”  Comfort and hope are to be offered to those who face the perils of the enemy in these last days.  Earthly death is not to be dreaded by those who have found Jesus Christ.  Instead we are to consider it a form of blessing.  To rest in the graves, in the full assurance of transformations begun or finished within us before that time, is to be unaware of the blink of an eye in which time is no longer relevant to us.  One thought ends, the next begins, and the nanosecond between them could encompass the years between our physical demise, and our physical reawakening at the last trump of God in His resurrection calling.  We already know what death is like, we practice it every night when we sleep.  Time passes briefly and we awake in the morning refreshed and ready to begin the day.  Death is quite literally the same thing.  We would have reason to fear Death, if there was to be no morning on the other side of it, nothing to awaken to after the passage of time.  But the entirety of the gospel is presented to destroy this lie, and reveal the truth of a God who intended life to be forever.  For those who sleep the sleep of death in Christ, the morning is going to be the greatest one of their lives.  The awakening they are destined to experience will be like none other.  It is for this reason, we are to have both hope and comfort.  For literally nothing can forever separate us from the love of God, not even our physical demise in this world of pain.

Then John adds the icing on the cake.  Not only do we sleep resting in the assurance of our own salvation founded in Jesus Christ.  But our labors follow us.  The works of love we have done in selfless service to others, the “seeming” sacrifices we made for another, the unconditional love we showed to those in need – these all bear a harvest we could not imagine.  Our broken-tool-lives utilized by God in the united mission for the redemption of mankind are going to bear fruit through the power and blessing of His Holy Spirit.  What follows us into His kingdom are the fruits of love we planted while still living in this world of pain.  There is no higher calling.  There is no greater reward.  Not all the eons of time we spend in a life with so much joy we cannot describe it, will equal the value of seeing just one more person there with us to share it with us, because of the love of Christ we reflected unto them.  Indeed the true treasure of humanity, is found in the redemption of humanity.  The value of just one, is so infinite, and so precious, and so unique, and so irreplaceable, that nothing will ever matter to us more in the light of eternity, than to see just one there to share it with us.

This is why Christ would have come, lived, and died just for you and only you, if you alone were all who would have accepted His gift.  Just to have you in heaven with Him, was enough for Him to be willing to die to see just You there.  Praise be to God, that you, and perhaps many like you, will be willing to accept that gift.  Praise further, that He would so honor us, as to reflect His love through us, and thus make us tools in the mission of the redemption of mankind.  We will share His joy, at the redemption of just one more soul.  We will learn to value each person we encounter with the precious individuality of the love of God, for just that person.  This is another revelation of Jesus Christ made in the writings of John.  He reveals how precious each of us is to Jesus Christ.  He reveals that this work of redemption is the ONLY thing that matters.  Our deaths in this world are inconsequential to the accomplishments we can make living only one day under the transforming power of Jesus Christ in our lives.  Here is the patience of the saints.  Here are they who keep the commandments of God, through the transforming power of faith in Jesus Christ alone as the sole source of our salvation.  Lives like this, are the only ones worth living. 

But the work and messages of this group of seven angels were not over yet …

 

Seven Angels [part one] ...

In actuality there are 3 groups of 7 angels described throughout the book of Revelations of Jesus Christ relayed by the disciple John.  The first group of seven were angels given messages to the seven churches.  The second group is described here with messages for the last days.  And the third group will come later carrying the plagues of God’s judgments to be poured out upon the world.  It is possible these may be the same angels performing three different and unique missions.  It is possible they are each unique, each given a message to convey or work to perform.  What is clear, is that the work of the redemption of mankind, is not limited only to actions performed by God alone, or Christ alone.  Actions, messages, and missions that work for our redemption are “shared” with those who are willing and long to participate.  Those who would volunteer to be tools united in seeing our fallen race reconciled to God are honored by God with a work towards that goal.  In the courts of the Father Himself, are seen 24 elders, 4 beasts of unique composition, the Lamb of God or His only Son, and an innumerable host of angels who have been working and fighting for our redemption.  His angels have already fought two wars in heaven and one final war is still to come.

This idea of participation is not excluded from you and me either.  Jesus Himself gave us His great commission; reminding us we should love one another, and in small teams, carry His gospel of hope and redemption to a world who has never heard this truth.  Christ did not require us to be perfect “before” we could share in this work.  He has demonstrated His willingness to use “broken tools” in the process of our redemption.  He knows despite our imperfections and incomplete understanding of His word, if we will be willing to Love like He Loved, the gospel will find its way into the hearts and minds of those who need it, and will lead to their redemption.  It is not the strength of our doctrines, or the purity of our interpretation of scripture that transforms the hearts of men.  It is the love of Christ alone that performs this function.  When we demonstrate this love we become agents united in His mission.  We become tools working for the redemption of mankind.  When we pollute our love with our own ideas, and assume it is “us” who saves others instead of “Christ” who saves us all; we detriment the cause of Christ. 

Angels understand “who” is in charge.  Angels are aware the messages they convey originate with God, not within themselves.  The works they perform are the works they volunteer for and have been commissioned or directed to perform.  They are more perfect tools to use in our redemption than we are.  Too often we would be all too happy to take credit unto ourselves.  We assume “our” words are actually “ours”.  We believe “our” deeds were originated within us.  In this we forget, that His words should be flowing through us.  We forget His works come from Him, His motives, His love reflected through us, not beginning within us.  Our greatest danger, even within the work of the gospel, is to lose our dependence upon Christ alone, and begin to accept the idea that “we” too are an integral part of the process of salvation, our own, or that of others.

John has only recently set the stage for the work of this second group of seven angels who are to bring messages to us near the end of time.  Earlier he described the plans of the enemy, raising up three beasts, allied to see us deny our identity as followers of Jesus Christ alone, and instead submit and carry the mark of this third beast.  John went on to identify a special group of 144,000 first fruits, who instead of bearing the mark of the beast, they bear the name of the Father God in their foreheads.  They stand before God pure, and without guile.  They have been transformed by the power of Christ, and their willing submission to His transformational power and love.  While John describes the fury of our enemy in his intentions to make us question our identity, he also describes the hope that not all will succumb to the mark of the enemy and instead there will be those who see the perfection of Christ wrought within them, even while still in this world.  This work is all timed near the end, just prior to the return of Christ to this world, to take us home.  It is against this timing and the back drop of these events that the second group of angels takes up their messages.

John begins in verse 6 of chapter 14 of his Revelations of Jesus Christ, saying … “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,”  The first angel carries with him the message of the eternal gospel, he carries the good news.  The message is not intended for only a select group of people, but for literally everyone on planet earth.  Language is no barrier to love.  Nationality, community, and family all bow to the power of love.  It is the love of Christ that underlies the power of the gospel.  It is the revelation of His so great love, that comprises the eternal and everlasting gospel that is to be preached to all who dwell on the earth.  Notice as well, it is the mission of this angel to see that the gospel is spread.  He will work this work through any who are willing to share in His mission.  But the ultimate disposition of the gospel reaching the world is carried by this angel commissioned with this work.  As always, it is God who insures, everyone has a chance to hear and accept the freedom His gift is made of.

John continues in verse 7 … “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”  This angel proclaims to our world that we should “fear God”, or perhaps better understood, we should “respect God”.  “We” are NOT the top of the food chain.  “We” are not the supreme beings of the universe.  There is something greater than us.  It is God who made man, not the other way around.  In fact this angel identifies God by His most important attribute – He made heaven (and the universe in which it is found), earth (everything that lives), the sea (everything found in water as well as the water itself), and fountains of water (our most basic necessity).  The reason we are to give glory to God is because of His identification as our Creator, and more importantly our re-Creator.  You will remember from our earlier study of the gospel of John, wherein we learned that to “give glory” is to perform acts of love for others.  The request to love others forms the basis of His great commission to us, and is consistent in the message of the eternal gospel, this angel is relaying.  The hour of His judgment is come.  The time of the end has arrived.  Evil will not be allowed to live on in perpetuity.  An end to the time where evil will be allowed to exist is coming fast, this is the hour of His judgment, and the angel begins by announcing that time is now upon us.

The revelation of this first angel is very important in both content, and timing.  He carries the gospel to the entire world.  And he does it in the last days of this world’s history.  The methods for communicating on a global scale have arrived.  The penetration of Christianity around the world is no longer zero, it is rising.  Language barriers have been overcome.  The printed and electronic word is carried to parts of the globe that could not have ever been reached only ten years ago.  The angel carries his message of the eternal gospel to places we have not dreamed of going.  He uses those who are willing to share in his mission of love and redemption.  And he breaks down barriers that once stood in the way of his delivery.

John continues in verse 8 … “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”  The second angel carries a warning based on a lament.  The news of Babylon’s fall is not proclaimed as gloating, or in triumph, or celebration.  It is instead sad news.  What was once hoped to be a pinnacle of knowledge, of social order, of prosperity – has corrupted itself.  Original ideals have been trampled under the foot of self service, greed, and avarice.  Instead of being the golden head and jewel of the earth, Babylon has fallen.  And as she has fallen, she has taken all the nations down with her.  She in fact “made all nations drink” or participate in her fornication and angry deeds.  Heaven does NOT rejoice at the rejection of love and freedom from self, when it is chosen.  Instead Heaven grieves at the rejection of love.  This lament is repeated with tears and great sadness … “Babylon is fallen, is fallen”.  This is a sad announcement and proclamation.  It is a declaration to the world, that what was once a great hope, has become corrupted, and has led the world into sharing in this corruption.

So the question is posed, who is Babylon?  Traditionally the Catholic church of the dark ages was held to be this symbol, because of the corruption of the gospel that occurred in those dark years.  The word was withheld from the people.  Salvation was for sale through indulgences.  Works of art were made to be worshipped.  The special day of worship with God established at creation was altered by the power of the church.  And worst of all, dissent was not tolerated, punishable by death utilizing the power of the state to achieve these goals throughout the world.  What might have been the great hope of Christianity was corrupted by greed and avarice, and became a blight on the history of the delivery of our gospel.  Forever stained would be gospel of Christ, as it was advanced at the point of a sword, rather than with an unconditional love that could see evil end.  Indeed to understand the sadness that must have occurred as the church bearing the name of our Lord declined during these ages must have been a cause of great lament throughout the heavenly courts.  But to adopt this interpretation at the exclusion of others may perhaps be too limiting.

Consider for a moment, the timing of these angel’s messages.  They occur AFTER the third beast has been identified and come into prominence.  In fact the next angel will discuss the issue-of-the-day with the mark of the third beast in just the next few verses.  The proclamation of the downfall of Babylon is a current event.  It does not indicate that it reaches back into history to find its fulfillment, but rather in the modern times in which this angel makes his proclamation.  He is the second angel.  He follows the worldwide proclamation of the gospel.  Christianity was NOT worldwide during the dark ages, it was largely centralized in Europe and north Africa.  China, the America’s, Russia, were areas largely untouched by the gospel during the dark ages.  However, in our age, the gospel has a very real ability to be heard worldwide.  While China is not too fond of Christian missions, it has not forbid them altogether.  Doors are opening that were once shut to the gospel.  So if this message of the fall of Babylon is occurring AFTER the worldwide proclamation of the gospel, and just prior to the mark of the third beast.  That would make its proclamation timed to … NOW!!

Another aspect of the message of the lament of Babylon’s fall is its identification as “that great city”.  In the time of John, there were very few nations, and nearly all revolved around the prominence of a City State.  Babylon in fact was a city, whose armies under Nebuchadnezzar had swept over the then known world.  To interpret the fall of Babylon as pertaining only to a church, whether historical, or current seems a bit limiting given the natural association of Babylon as a “great city” rather than as a woman who might better represent a church.  Babylon of old influenced a great degree of the lives of those around the world, particularly around the world that contained the history of those who followed the true God.  If these messages are to find relevance in the time of the end, then it would be more likely to have Babylon represent a nation whose influence is great upon the world, particularly on nations where there are a great number of those who follow the true God today.

So if not looking backwards to find the fulfilment of Babylon, or at a minimum, not only looking backwards – where do we find its only fulfillment in our age?  I submit only one power is global in nature and scope; and would fit the image of hope that has been lost.  The United States of America alone fits this description.  We were founded on the ideas of religious freedom and tolerance.  We were the location in the earth that opened to help the woman fleeing into the wilderness.  We had grand ideals of democracy rather than autocracy.  We evolved, some would argue too slowly, to finally realize the ideas that ALL men were truly created equal by our Creator, regardless of the color of their skin, or national origins.  We brought prosperity to the whole world.  We brought Christianity to the whole world, taking the seeds of Protestantism sown in Europe and spreading it worldwide.  We stopped the spread of fascism.  We won the cold war.  We give when others are in need.  We were once the golden jewel of social order, of knowledge, or prosperity for all of our citizens.  Our middle class was once the envy of the world.

But Babylon is fallen, is fallen.  What was once great, has become corrupted by avarice and greed, and the nature of man to serve only himself.  Now, our richest one percent dictate the fates of the remainder of the entire world.  They have no inclination to share anymore, but only to become even more rich.  We pollute now with impunity.  We deny the reality of global climate change because we profit from the status quo.  We cause the rest of the world to acquiesce to our financial requests and systems, or risk losing the wealth we are responsible for creating.  We back up our “requests” with the might of our military.  And we have begun to embark on the course of compelling the conscience of others.  Whether from the far left, or far right, the compulsion to think like I think, or believe like I believe is ever more entering the landscape of our media, and our reality.  We have all but destroyed privacy and the expectation to have freedom from publicity.  Everything that is said, whether intended to be private or not, is available for public consumption.  And the problems associated with our downfall as Babylon are NOT limited only to issues of our government or corporate structures.  They have infected the church as well.

Christianity in our age, in our nation – conjures up its first images as “hate speech” or judgmental-ism.  We are not known for our love first, but too often for our love as our last identifying characteristic.  Too many pastors who minister through television are concerned first about the “financial support” of their ministry, ahead of the needs of their parishioners.  Too many members give tithes and offerings only when it is expedient, or too often not at all.  Our hearts are not touched with feelings of empathy for those in desperate need who crowd our streets and overfill the mental hospitals who can care for them no longer.  We believe the poor have earned their condition.  If they were more motivated to work, they would not be poor.  So we harden our hearts, close our doors, and deny love to those who would need it most.  The thought of visiting the sick, or those in prison, never so much as enters our minds.  We are too busy.  We are too busy working to support ourselves, pay our bills, and minister in our local churches where it is safe and comfortable to worship.  Our ministry wanes.  Our personal testimony becomes corporate testimony, it has lost its uniqueness.  We espouse the ideas of salvation, not the personal impact of salvation upon us.  In short, Babylon is fallen, is fallen.  Our nation and our church are not what they once were.  Both our government and our corporate religious institutions are not what they once were.  And so the lament rings through the courts of heaven.  Babylon is fallen, is fallen.

So what is revealed about Jesus Christ through the messages of the first and second angels?  First, that the good news of the gospel is to be preached to ALL the world, for the time for this world is nearing its end.  Second, that while it may yet be great, and may have been founded in ideals and hopes with highest expectations – Babylon has fallen.  Whether applied to the largest Christian church of the dark ages, or to our nation as it sits today, starting out great does not guarantee that the finish remains that way.  Self-interests can corrupt even the finest institutions, whether corporate or individual.  Our government, the pillars of our economy, the backbone of our corporate churches, and the man in the mirror are ALL subject to the corrupting effects of self-service.  Only Jesus Christ can free us from this condition of slavery we have embraced.  The lament of heaven is real.  The condition it declares is designed to lift our self-deception.  We have fallen.  But there remains hope.

And the third angel’s message is about to be delivered …

144,000 First Fruits ...

 

John has described many visions thus far that contain a sequence of seven things, or events.  All of them are relevant in a particular time span, and what follows seems to again continue that pattern.  The preceding vision of the three beasts and battle plan of the enemy of souls revealed a three pronged attack upon God and men.  The final assault would be waged using finances to control the hearts and minds of men.  Those who would not submit to the Beast and receive his mark through a simple acknowledgement of his power, were to be forbidden to buy or sell.  Without the ability to conduct commerce in our modern world, starvation and death are soon to follow.  The final assault on our conscience was to challenge our identity as followers of Christ.  If our words were not to be consistent with our hearts, we might find ourselves bearing the mark of the last beast, and otherwise counted in his kingdom.  To avoid this fate, we must remain steadfast in our submission to Jesus Christ, following only His leadership; not the dictates of men in power, or in the church, or in the mirror.  Jesus Christ alone is to be our savior.  It is He alone who will save us from ourselves and the evil within us.  It is this gift He brings, as we allow Him to place our names in His book of life.

As John begins this next vision of seven angels who play a key role in the unfolding of events, and messages to our world, it is with the knowledge of what it means to have been marked by the third and final beast.  This indicator places the timeframe of relevance in our day, in the last days, when the United States is reaching its pinnacle of power, its ability to exert control over the finances around the world.  In short, as we look around us, we find ourselves in the very midst of the prophecy John is about to reveal.  He begins in verse one of chapter 14 of his book of Revelations of Jesus Christ saying … “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.”  This passage could be interpreted in 2 ways with respect to the location of this event.  First, it could be concluded that the Lamb (Jesus Christ) is standing with the 144,000 especially redeemed first fruits on “the mount Sion” meaning in heaven.  If heaven is the location of this revelation then it stands to reason that the 144,000 were a selection of those who had died in the hope of the Messiah, and were raised at his first coming, ascending with Him to heaven as the first fruits of the mission of our redemption.  However if this location is the correct interpretation it tends to negate the special mission in the last days of this number of saints that appeared to be indicated earlier in his book.

The second interpretation for the location associated with “the mount Sion” is the symbolic center of the church, where the true followers of Christ assemble.  In this context, and you will note, there are no other indicators in the texts that follow of scenes with “heavenly” characteristics regarding location, Christ is seen “standing” with His people.  The followers of Christ have never been deserted through all of time and history in this world.  No matter what the severity of the attacks of His enemy, Jesus remains standing with those who seek Him out.  It is His divine power that thwarts the plans of the enemy and sees good come from all things.  It is no different in our day, than it has been when those who followed Christ faced danger in any age.  From Adam, to Noah. to Jacob, to Moses, to David, to Daniel, to the Disciples, to the Church fleeing in the wilderness, to us in our modern age; Jesus Christ has always stood with His followers, and His church.  As we enter these final days John sees Him yet again affirm His closeness to those who seek to follow Him alone.

Then John contrasts those in the previous chapter who had received the mark of the final beast, with these who Jesus is standing with.  As opposed to those who have received the mark of the beast in their hands or foreheads, these group of followers have … “his Father's name written in their foreheads”.  It is the very name of God the Father whose mark we bear.  Instead of the “666” numerical symbolism of those who would compel the conscience of men to forever be slaves; we have chosen to receive the Name of His Father God into our minds and hearts freely, to forever be made free from the slavery of self-service.  This is about as stark a contrast as is possible to make.  It compares those who are truly free in Jesus Christ (free from the evil within themselves), with those who are forever marked with the chains of slavery (powerless to follow any course but that of pure self-service).  This contrast also supports the time element of this vision.  The relevance of the third beast and his forced mark are more aligned with events that occur in the last days.  While this could have been a symbolic battle between good and evil in any age, it has more relevance in the days of the third beast, when his power and the conflict he presents to the world are at their highest.

John continues in verse 2 … “And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: [verse 3] And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.”  John’s attention is now drawn from mount Sion, to heaven where he hears a voice that carries the sound of many waters.  The heavenly courts begin playing their harps as the 144,000 begin to sing a new song of praise.  This song is unique.  This song is singular in nature.  It is not impossible to learn, or so musically complex that only Andrea Bocelli could pull it off.  However the words of this song have a meaning only the 144,000 can truly identify with.  The connection between singer and lyric can only be fully appreciated by those who have had this experience.  Those who have been “redeemed from the earth” are the only ones who “get it”.  During the time of greatest conflict, when man is forced to choose between the bonds of slavery to self, under the pressure of the edicts of men, or the freedom that comes from choosing to follow Christ alone – it is only then when this level of redemption is fully understood.  To be made free from the evil within us, by the power and love of the Lamb, is something only few have had happen while still living in this world of sin.  Enoch discovered it.  And now the 144,000 know what this freedom is like.  The redemption they have experienced is so full and so unique, only they can sing about it.

Notice the 4 beasts in front of the throne of God are named specifically, the 24 elders are again named specifically.  While other sentient life forms and representatives of our own species have a special place and mission in our redemption, while they serve God in places of honor, and are before Him day and night – they remain unable to make the special connection with this particular song of redemption the 144,000 are able to sing.  No one, no man or woman, who has not personally experienced the freedom from evil that Jesus Christ alone can offer will ever be able to sing this song.  It has a special poignancy in the age in which it appears.  Our worship and gratitude for the gift of freedom from self, begins immediately upon experiencing it.  We cannot remain silent when this transformation occurs because it is so life altering.  The special experience of being made free from self is unique.  It is what drives the meaning of this song, and what makes it so special even when the courts of heaven can only accompany its melody.

John continues in verse 4 … “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. [verse 5] And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.”  The characteristics of the 144,000 continue to be revealed.  John describes them as those who were not defiled with women, or as being virgins.  These people did not attempt to find God by pursuing alternate ideas, or paths to God, but instead through Jesus Christ alone.  They did not rely upon themselves for salvation.  They did not look to eastern philosophies, or new age mantras, cult leaders, or even the head of their local churches.  Instead they looked only to Jesus Christ for their redemption and salvation.  The followers of Christ were once symbolically represented as a woman in vision, so too, the followers of the dragon are represented by an evil woman akin to Jezebel the mother of harlots.  As opposed to Jezebel’s pursuit of any ideas of God mixed with self-service, the virgin church follows only one leader, and one idea.  Jesus Christ is at its head, and love for others is its guiding principle. 

The 144,000 have experienced redemption from sin and self as first fruits, or ahead of the remainder of humanity.  Many fall asleep in Christ having not quite reached the fruition of the freedom from self He began in them.  When they awake in the resurrection of the righteous they will be instantly fully transformed from who they were, not just physically, but spiritually, and emotionally as well.  As those who slept in Christ arise, they arise as new creatures, or new creations.  It is then when their minds finally experience the freedom from sin, the destination their journey was headed towards while they yet walked this earth.  Only then do they know what it is like to be completely free from self. 

The 144,000 however are the first fruits.  They experience this phenomenon prior to death, and if this timeframe holds true, they experience it prior to His second coming.  They stand as those proclaimed to be “Holy still”.  They do not lie, and are without fault, before the throne of God.  It is not a false proclamation they make of serving Christ, but a genuine transformation they have experienced through Him.  To be without fault before God, after having been translated to heaven seems like a more “normal” condition.  After all, no one with sin, could stand in His presence to begin with.  The whole point of our redemption is to rid us of sin, so that we can stand before Him without fault or guile.  But to stand before Him ahead of time, while still located in a world of sin, but without participation in that sin, is truly an accomplishment.  It can only be conceived of through the transforming power and love of Jesus Christ alone.  These first fruits are able to stand before God, not just forgiven, but reformed.  They are able to stand in His presence because they have been transformed by the power of His Son.  They represent the countless millions who will soon join them in this place and in this condition of freedom from self.

The beauty of the message of this revelation of Jesus Christ, is that we, you and I, can be a part of this number.  You and I can find ourselves fully transformed by the love and power of Jesus Christ.  We can submit the whole of who we are to Him, and find ourselves part of the perfection of the 144,000 first fruits before God.  We need NOT wait until after the grave.  We need NOT wait until some magical time in the future.  We already live in the last days.  We already live under the threat of the third and final beast, and the forced mark he is soon to put upon the world.  We have a unique opportunity to receive the Holy Spirit ahead of that day, and find ourselves fully transformed to stand before God and His throne without fault.  More than just forgiveness.  More than just a desire to be like Christ.  Instead the full on transformation of every thought, motive, and action to be in harmony with His will and His law.  This is the promise He offers.  This is the revelation John was revealing, the offering of perfection wrought by Christ within us and to the entire world.  How sad only 144,000 were willing to be fully set free.  Will you be one of them? Will I?

And more revelations were quick to follow …

 

Seven Trumpets (part two) ...

We resume our study of the seven trumpets of Revelation continuing from part one of this series.  John writes in verse 7 … “The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.”  If this is truly to be literal, it must also be a future event.  Should our world lose 33% of its tree’s and 100% of its grass, the effects would be so devastating that it might indeed end life as we know it on our planet.  Therefore if we consider a more historical context to apply the symbolism described here, we might find fulfillment in a few ways. 

First let us consider the implications of this trumpet being another message of great importance to the church and the servants of Jesus Christ.  In this context, the first trumpet may have sounded to announce the judgments of God on the city of Jerusalem for its complete rejection of the Messiah and the role it played in the murder of our God, done in the name of religion.  Rome destroyed Jerusalem, inadvertently setting the temple on fire, which melted the gold that dribbled down all the way between the stones in the floor.  Thus the errant Roman soldiers were told to destroy the remains of the temple and dig up the rocks so as to get the gold from its foundations, leaving “no stone upon another”.  But no Christians died in the terrible siege and taking of Jerusalem.  They saw signs in the heavens, and remembered the warnings of Christ to flee without looking back to gather your belongings.  The early Christian church was spread out into the world, and Jerusalem tasted the results of her complete rejection of the cornerstone of her faith.  If the message of the first trumpet was directed at an early Christian church under the pagan persecution of Rome, this may well have been the hail of Roman destruction, that ultimately mingled fire in the blood spilled and cast upon the earth in the temple there.

Another view of the first trumpet may have been in a more political context.  Trumpets often precede war, and are used within war to give direction to coordinate troop efforts when the noise of battle might otherwise overwhelm the sound of a human voice.  If the context were political in nature, one interpretation might be assigned to the Visigoth barbarian hordes that rained a hail of destruction down upon the once great Roman empire.  This was the first step in reducing the legs of iron into the feet of iron mixed with clay.  Constantine had divided the Roman empire into three sections in order to place each of his three sons on a throne, and to better provide for the defense of the empire.  The western seat was attacked by the Visigoth Alaric, equating to a destruction of one third of the empire at that time.  The reason to apply this particular war to the sounding of this trumpet may also coincide with a view of the ten horns or kingdoms, where three were up rooted by the little horn.  The Visigoths surely helped break up the Roman empire, but their legacy was not to be forever felt.

Finally a more modernist view of the first trumpet sounding, interpreted under the ideas that these trumpets are to sound in the last days before His returning might be found in scorched earth policies exacted in the Second World War.  A great deal of modern Ukraine was ruined during WW2 by policies of scorching the earth so that nothing of value remained.  This would have met the idea that all the grass was burnt up, and nearly a third of this area of the world destroyed in one form or another.  Regardless of the viewpoints outlined here, all interpretations include attributing symbolism described in John’s visions to events in our history.  Whether as important messages to the church, or the history of the fall of an empire, or the destruction we have witnessed in our last days – each employs the same methods of ascribing characteristics and events in parallel with what John relayed.  Again it must be noted, that perspective matters when taking this approach.  The earliest Christian church may well have interpreted the sounding of the first trumpet as described above because they bore witness to those events.  The potential modernist view is only possible from our own perspectives as now these events are a part of our recent history.

Perhaps the most important question, is how do we see Christ revealed in the view of interpretation we take of this revelation?  Do we see a warning of the consequences of rejecting the sole method of our salvation as witnessed through the destruction of Jerusalem?  Do we see that it is Christ who ultimately controls the halls of power and succession of kingdoms that traverse our history of empires?  Do we see that even in the massive destruction that occurs in our modern world of war, that Christ is still ever present and ever in control of these events, and more importantly of our salvation?  These prophecies are revelations of Jesus Christ.  They are not mere history lessons.  They are not meant to be scare tactics.  Fear does not bring about reform, only love can do that.  Only love provides the motive for reform.  So if we are to see Jesus in these revelations, how do we see Him?  Do we see the love of Christ, or have we become fixated on times and events and the things that seem to threaten our way of life?  Our lives in this world are of little consequence, they only have meaning in how we can share in the ministry of loving others to see them connect to the source of redemptive love and salvation.  Destruction is not the goal, redemption is.  Without this context, our study has little relevance.

John’s vision continues in verse 8 as he relays … “And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; [verse 9] And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.”  Again from a purely literal point of view this would also have to be a future event.  It describes what we might refer to as a meteor which descends into an ocean killing a third of life there, and a third of the naval ships in that ocean.  The level of destruction between the first trumpet and the second could all but kill life on our planet from a pure reduction in oxygen if nothing else.  So again to interpret these events as purely literal seems counterintuitive to looking at our God attempting to draw us closer to Himself that He might redeem a fallen world.  If we then attempt to interpret this passage in a symbolic form there are several meanings that might emerge.

First, if the message is again similar in context to a warning to the church, it might be applied to God’s judgments against pagan Rome.  After addressing Jerusalem in the first trumpet warning, this centers our attention on the ideas that false gods, and many gods, do not form alternate paths to the real God.  Pagan Rome had at the center of its doctrine the worship and exaltation of self.  No passion or pleasure were to be denied to the affluent citizens of Rome.  They did not use their wealth and knowledge extensively in the service of others, but instead like Israel before them, they turned inward, became corrupted and only deepened in their self-embraced slavery to indulgence.  The various forms of false gods included the ideas that war, or sex, or violence were to be praised.  While human sacrifice may not have been an official form of worship, it was highly condoned in the arenas with the gladiator slaves who were sent there to die violently to the cheers of the crowds.  The level of debauchery had no equal.  And the judgment of our God was to be felt on this ideology. 

The lesson was for us to see.  The lesson has not been heeded.  We emulate Rome nearly perfectly.  We no longer have arenas where slaves are made to fight for their existence.  But we do have a class of people with great means, who are content to see their fellow citizens struggle to survive while they spend their means indulging their every whim.  The poor aspire to be the rich.  The rich work to insure this never happens.  The class warfare exploited by our politicians is all too real, but it is waged in secret in the halls of power.  What is missing in our society was the same thing missing in ancient Rome, a desire to see wealth used to benefit all in need.  Today, we blame the poor and downtrodden for their own condition.  We judge them that it is their lack of willingness to work, to take ‘dirty jobs’, or work 60 hours a week instead of 40 that sees them remain in their poverty.  There is little if any empathy.  There is instead an abundance of apathy and self-obsession and desire to be ‘entertained’.  We too look to the needs of our empire before we look to the needs of our citizens.  We too worship the false gods of money, of power, of defense, and of control.  But worst of all, we too worship the exaltation of self at the expense of our submission to something greater than ourselves.  So what might have been a message to our ancestor role model regarding the fate of this path, remains unheeded in our day.

If the sounding of the second trumpet was to be of a political variety, then perhaps the Vandals did to pagan Rome in a physical sense, what was also seen from a spiritual one.  The Vandals grew in power in Spain eventually crossing the straights of Gibraltar into Africa.  They swept through the southern Mediterranean coasts of Africa and built a sizeable navy.  Rome, not wishing to lose the jewel of its supply lines sent its own navy to combat the Vandals.  The Vandals used combustibles and sent them into the heart of the Roman fleet.  The net result was a great fire spreading out across the fleet.  Soldiers died either in flame, or by the sword of the Vandal navy who remain relatively unscathed.  Death by fire in the sea could be seen as a more historical and political view of the sounding of this trumpet.

If we were to look for a modern day fulfillment of this trumpet sounding, with an eye towards an interpretation of keeping the trumpets in the days of the last generations; we might find its fulfillment in the great naval battles of the Second World War.  From Pearl Harbor, to the war’s end, nearly 36,000 ships were lost (just about a third of those that fought).  The imagery of fire cast into the sea, could have been seen in the testing of nuclear bombs that would have killed sea life in the area.  Or it could be fulfilled in the normal conventional naval bombing runs that occurred throughout the war.  Many millions of lives were lost in WW2, and the imagery John witnessed could have conceivably met its interpretation if we put the lens of modern perspective on these events.

Once again, no matter how we choose to interpret the imagery and prophecy of the vision John describes, we must ask ourselves, how does it reveal to us Jesus Christ and His intent to see us redeemed?  In one sense, Christ may be revealing to us, that the worship of self leads to the level of debauchery the Roman empire experienced, and to a similar fate of self-determined destruction.  He may also be revealing to those who have means, that prolonged abuse of the poor and downtrodden gives rise to the Vandal empire who may resort to physical retribution to the apathy that has kept them under the oppression of the rich.  Wealth after all, did not defend the Romans from the Vandals, but instead made them a target of retribution and theft.  Wealth is therefore, by definition, temporary.  It can be shifted.  Whereas wealth, or what is truly important in the kingdom of heaven, cannot be shifted or taken away.  Love of others, absent selfish motive, can offer a permanence that transcends even this life.  That is the kind of wealth, that does not inspire retribution, and cannot be taken by the Vandal hordes. 

If we are to see Jesus revealed in the great naval battles of WW2, what are we to learn of Him there?  Do the countless stories of heroism and self-sacrifice emerge under the conditions of fire reigning into the sea?  Does what emerges become known as ‘the greatest generation’ not because of their military prowess, but because of their willingness to finally sacrifice self and isolation to keep freedom in the world?  But if so, where is the revelation of Christ in all of it.  I am not fully certain the redemptive love of God is found in the pride of our accomplishments, but rather in the humble submission that results from knowing we need a savior, not that we are one.

John continues his revelation in verse 10 … “And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; [verse 11] And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”  Once again a literal interpretation seems unlikely.  For a star called Wormwood to fall to the earth and hit a central place where all the freshwater emanates making a third of it bitter is again unlikely.  Obviously nothing is impossible for God, but as in the previous soundings, this too seems more likely fulfilled with the application of the symbolism, than in waiting for a future literal event to occur.  What begins to emerge however, as we read these passages is yet another pattern of numbers.  In this instance what we see are the results of these trumpet soundings having an effect on “one third” of the things they describe.  In the first trumpet it is one third of the trees.  In the second, it is one third of sea life and the  navy.  In this one it is one third of the fresh water.  In the next it is one third of the atmosphere.  Each of the first four trumpets (as distinct from the remaining three woes), seems to affect one third of the objects they reference.  I am not certain how this is to be understood outside of the context of the Roman empire being divided in three parts, but it is worth noting.

If we are to seek the interpretation of the sounding of this trumpet as a message to the church, it might be found in the revelation of the difference between professed Christianity and actual Christianity.  The worldwide ascendency of the Catholic church who professed Jesus Christ in its doctrines did not set the true example of the worship and ministry of our God.  Christ, the king of all things, came to our world in abject humility and lived in humble service to others His entire life.  He amassed no wealth.  He made no elaborate cathedrals.  He required no offerings of gold or silver to obtain His favor, or purchase His free gift of redemption.  He established no doctrine of celibacy among those who were to lead His church.  And His own law forbid the crafting of graven images to serve as representations of things to worship neither in this world, or in His heaven.  Indeed, the exertion of control attempted by the Catholic church alone, was completely counter to the ideas of submission He taught and lived Himself.  To compel the conscience has never been His method, and only exclusively used by that of Satan His enemy. 

Because we ‘claim’ to serve our God of love and service to others, does not mean that we do.  Satan is all too happy to see us purport to serve Christ, but instead serve only ourselves and our own needs.  If we do not truly attempt to submit ourselves to Christ in order to see our own desires changed, we will be doomed to continue to want the wrong things.  Our struggle with sin will persist, because we do not allow Christ to change our desires within us.  What happened to the degeneration of the doctrines and example of Christ within the Catholic church of the dark ages, can just as easily happen in the hearts of the modern believer.  When we rely upon self, and refuse to be re-created, we embark on the same path, with the same predictable results.  The third trumpet sounding may well have been intended to wake us both up, to the nature of the path we tread upon.

If we are to see the continued political interpretations of the trumpets, then the sounding of the third one may well have represented Attila the Hun (the star who descended) and his hordes that forced the Romans to endure the bitterness of humility at the point of a sword.  During his rise to prominence Attila forced the Romans to pay annual tributes of gold to keep his destructive force at bay.  At one point Attila changed the terms of their agreement raising it from 350 pounds of gold per year to 750 pound of gold per year.  In addition to gold, Attila demanded a Roman princess Honoria accompanied by an immense dowry of wealth.  Indeed the bitterness of humility of the once supreme Roman empire was brought about by Goths, Vandals, and now the Huns who in concert seemed to only aggregate the damage and destruction of once thought ‘eternal empire’ of Rome.

If we were to turn our point of view to a modern application of this third trumpet, we might find it in the events of Chernobyl.  Even the meaning of word Chernobyl can be seen as Wormwood, and its effect of poisoning the fresh water of the nearby rivers and connecting underground reservoirs was devastating to the entire region.  Many died from the contamination brought about by the world’s worst nuclear disaster.  The waters were indeed made bitter, and many died from drinking them.  This interpretation definitely addresses the poisoning of fresh water, and is again something found only in our own days, the days of the last generations before He returns. 

But if we are to focus on how Christ is revealed, and upon His messages of redemption, what do we see of Jesus in these various applications of this revelation?  Perhaps the key revelation of Jesus to the church, and to the pagan Roman empire, and to modern men of science that build Chernobyl is the same.  We are all in desperate need of humility.  It is our arrogance that poisons church doctrine.  It is our arrogance that leads us to believe the empires we build will stand forever against the sands of time.  It is our arrogance that makes us think our scientific knowledge exceeds the wisdom of God, and makes us believe we need no humility or submission, instead we need only the next achievement.  Pride is said to be an original sin.  Pride is what is held in common in all three interpretations of this passage, and the inevitable destruction that follows pride, is the predictable result.

John continues his revelation in verse 12 … “And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.”  The last trumpet sounding in the sequence of four, follows a similar theme to its counterparts.  Again we avoid a strictly literal interpretation as it is difficult to imagine how it might be achieved.  But if the message is to be intended for the church it might be found in the darkness of the Middle Ages.  When once we have abandoned humility and submission to Christ, we cut ourselves off from the source of all Light.  We come to embrace the darkness of trusting in self, and lose our ability to see the Light, for we turned away from its source, instead trying to find it in the mirror.  The trumpet blast is meant to call us to look upwards once again.  It is meant to sound to call to our ears, what our eyes refuse to see.  We are not the source of our own salvation, nor is there to be found in us the truth we need to find.  The only source of truth is Jesus Christ.  The only source of change and reform is Jesus Christ.  The only way to find the Father is through the work of Jesus Christ.  The trumpet sounds to wake us from our self-imposed slumber and return us to the light of Christ.

If we were to seek a political application of this trumpet we might find it in the fall of western Rome, the last vestige of the old Roman Empire.  The once great light of Roman law, Roman representative government, Roman roads, even Roman justice had long since decayed over time, and now was finally and fully snuffed out.  The last emperor resigned, the senate had no meaning left.  The barbarian hordes had done their work, and what light remained was now gone over the course of the third of Europe.  Rome was the iron legs of the prophecy of Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel.  It had now been officially reduced to feet of clay mixed with iron.  The world would never again know a universal power until the Lord returns.  To find application of these trumpets in the Roman empire instead of the Incan, Aztec, Indian, or Chinese empires has more to do with where the majority of Christians and the church of Christ were located.  To this point in time the gospel had largely been spread only in Roman territories.  The Messiah had come, lived, and died under Roman jurisdiction.  A Roman governor pronounced sentence and Roman troops insured the application of that sentence.  While the Jewish religious leadership was behind the death of their own Messiah, it was Roman hands that were sullied in the work of it.  Pilot might have released and freed Jesus.  Had he taken this bold step, he would likely have joined in the fate of Jesus, for the sacrifice must be made.  However through that outcome, Pilot might have helped to exonerate the Roman empire, and keep them from any responsibility at all of what happened to Christ under his watch.  But instead, Roman weakness, and Roman corruption led to the death of innocent blood, a pattern that was destined not to change.

If we change our perspective and look at the fourth trumpet in light of modern events, one could ascribe the application of this revelation to global climate change.  The toxins in our air have resulted in a steady decline in light that reaches our earth.  Some studies of pollution in major cities show this reduction to be nearly 37% in Hong Kong for example.  Los Angeles, New York, Mexico City, etc., the list goes on.  Major population centers with higher emissions are going to naturally result in a dimming of both night and day light that reaches our world.  This is a condition that merely 120 years ago could not have been imagined, yet it exists today. 

Perhaps the blast of the fourth trumpet is meant to be the noise we need for our ears to awaken us to look out of our darkness.  We are not meant to trust in the greatness of our political power, or our judicial systems.  We are meant to trust only in Christ.  We are not meant to pollute our world, or our souls, with the darkness of trusting to self.  But instead we are to see the light of Jesus Christ as it is revealed in His work of changing who we are into who we were intended to be.  When our eyes fail us, our ears must take up the work.  When we are mired in darkness, we must follow the sound of the trumpet and be led out of darkness.  But as with the warning of the previous trumpet, in order to be led, we must be willing to be led.  It was our lack of humility that led us into darkness.  It can only be a return to humility that will see us led out of it.  While we look to the mirror to find the light, we will find none.  We must instead look upwards, and see the true source of all light in Jesus Christ.  This is the revelation to call us to see.  This is the mercy of our God, His hand outstretched to us in all ages, in all times, in all locations.  He calls us, with blast of the trumpets, to find our redemption in Jesus Christ.

And now, as if heaven fully understood the concept of an intermission long before the first movie epic was ever filmed, John continues writing in verse 13 … “And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!”  This message would appear to tell us, that while the first four trumpets were of great importance to us.  The remaining three are of even more consequence.  This break in the flow was not done by accident.  It was done by intent.  It is to cause us to focus even more on what is to follow.  A trumpet blast is meant to garner our attention.  No matter our method of interpretation of what is to come, its import should not be overlooked.

And so we remain vigilant as the last three trumpets are about to sound …