Revelation - is it really about the future?

Yesterday, I completed my journey through the Book of Psalms during my private devotions. The question, then, is always "To which Book/theme do I now turn?" In the light of the previous post,I found myself, this morning, in the Book of the Revelation! This post is just sharing some thoughts on the first few verses - but I may well return to the Book (at least until Sept 23rd!).

The opening words of the Book are of great importance - but are often quickly skimmed over! They read: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, ..." Did you notice that?  Beside these words, in the margin of the specific copy of the Word of God that I use for my personal devotions, I have noted: "The prime purpose of the Book - a Person, not a prophecy!" Of course, as is not unusual in the words of the Bible, there is another meaning that does not contradict the first, and that is that the revelation being given proceeds from the Lord Jesus - having been given to Him by the Father. However, it is important that, in reading this amazing, and often confusing, Book, that we keep our eyes fixed on Him.

We may also note that, although the Revelation is sent to seven specific Christian fellowships (v.4), it is also meant for any reader: "Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near." (v.3). Those last five words have caused some to doubt the whole Book! If, as is as certain as is possible, John received this revelation towards the end of the first century AD, how could the time be "near"? We are now living at a time more than 1900 years later! Did John get it all wrong?!

The answer, not unexpectedly, is "No! He did not get it wrong." What the sceptic overlooks is the fact that God sees everything from an eternal perspective and, in the light of the very timelessness of eternity, a couple of thousand earth years are as nothing. Peter reminds us to "... not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (II Peter 3:8). This, I would suggest, is not to be taken absolutely literally, but as making the point that our sense of time is not always how Almighty God views it!

Peter's subsequent words are also often forgotten: "The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance." (II Pet.3:9). These end times have not yet been fulfilled because Almighty God, in His love, and grace, and mercy, is giving people time to enter into the saving relationship with Him, through the Lord Jesus, the Christ, that is the only assurance of eternal life - rather than eternal damnation.

Finally, for now (!), we must remember that this revelation was given to a church that was undergoing great persecution - the reason why John had been exiled to Patmos. Thus it came as a great source of encouragement to its readers as they (and we) were (and are) assured that, in spite of appearances, God is still on the throne; that Jesus will return as King of kings and Lord of lords. On a day when I have read of the atrocity in Barcelona; at a time when such atrocities have become almost common-place; at a time when there are concerns about an imminent WW III; at a time when disciples of Jesus continue to be persecuted - often in ways that those of us who live in the relative safety of "the west" can barely comprehend - such assurance is just as relevant and encouraging as it was to those who first read the Revelation.

I trust that you are ready for His appearing. If not, then I urge you to do something about it. "Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (II Cor.6:2).

Waiting for Godot

One of the news items on this morning's Today programme on BBC Radio 4, was that today is the 60th anniversary of the opening, in Paris, of Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot".  I confess to never having watched the play, either on stage or in the televised version.  However, there is a wealth of material available that allows us to grasp the basic plot - such as it is!

Every time I see the title of the play, I want to separate the last two letters of the last word, reverse them, and add an ellipsis.  This would give me the statement "Waiting for God to ...". 

In a 1994 interview, Beckett said that he regretted calling the absent character 'Godot', because of all the theories involving God to which this had given rise.  Of course, he wrote the original script in French and, as the French word for 'God' is 'Dieu' he would, had he wished to add a theological ingredient, have had to name the unseen character "Dieuot"!!

However, the central point about Godot is that he never appears.  The two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait patiently - but no Godot.  I am reminded of the words of Paul: "We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." (Rom 8:22-25).  Similarly, he writes to the Corinthian believers and commends them that they "... wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ; Who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." (I Cor 1:7-8).  Writing to the young church in Thessalonica, he rejoices in the report he has received, that they have "... turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, Whom He raised from the dead, Jesus Who delivers us from the wrath to come." (I Thess 1:9-10).

As I read, hear, and watch, the daily news, I become increasingly convinced that we are living in momentous times.  I see Biblical prophecy being fulfilled before my very eyes.  I keep a close watch on the nation of Israel and, remembering that they are still the "apple of God's eye" (see Deut.32:10), I also watch the surrounding nations and the manner in which Israel is becoming increasingly isolated - in human terms.  And I am waiting for God to ... ...!  How He will intervene, I do not know.  Precisely when He will intervene, I do not know.  However, of His intervention, I have absolutely no doubt.  And so, whatever Beckett's characters do or, more accurately, fail to do, I am waiting for God to ...!

Watch this space!

As has often been pointed out, one of the wonderful things about the written Word of God - the Bible - is that however often one reads it, there is always something new to notice or discover.  This was, once more, my personal experience during my private devotions this morning.  One of the passages that I was reading was Joshua 1:1-9.  As I read those familiar words - words that I have read countless times before - I was suddenly struck by v.4.  "From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphra'tes, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory." (RSV)

In those words, YHWH is stating the boundaries of the land which He had promised to His chosen people to be their possession for ever!  The southern boundary was to be the Negev; the northern boundary was to be Lebanon; the western boundary was to be the Mediterranean Sea.  So far, so good.  However, it was that eastern boundary that had me reaching for my Bible Atlas.  Then I reached for a modern atlas.  I compared the two.  There could be no doubt about it.  The eastern boundary -  the River Euphrates - was a long way from the border of the modern State of Israel!  Indeed, if one were to draw those Biblical boundaries on to a modern map, then the land promised to the Children of Israel encompasses a large swathe of modern Syria, and a large swathe of modern Iraq!  This is an area that has not been possessed by the Israelites since the time of King Solomon - and I will have to do some further research to discover if, even during his reign, all of it was under Israel's control!

Of course, given the situation in both Syria and Iraq today, it is unthinkable that Israel, under such conditions, should ever control such a vast area!  However, it was unthinkable that the Berlin Wall would be torn down; it was unthinkable that Saddam Hussein would be toppled; it was unthinkable that Hosni Mubarak would be overthrown!

There is an old adage that reminds us that "Man proposes, but God disposes".  What that is saying is that men (and women, of course) may make their plans - but it is God's will that prevails.  As the hymn-writer states; "God is working His purpose out, as year succeedeth year"! (Basil Harwood).

Will Israel again control the whole of the promised land?  Watch this space?!

Demons, delusion, and discernment.

Sometimes the subject of a post comes to me just as I read the newspapers; sometimes I realise that I haven't posted for a few days, and have to work at a post. This post is one that has been on my heart for some 36 hours - since I received a regular mailing that pointed me to a video by a New Zealand preacher named Andrew Strom (see below- it's in two parts).

It's many, many years since I first became involved in the Charismatic Movement. My early objections to it were based on what I considered to be an inappropriate use of some of the more spectacular gifts of God the Holy Spirit. However, I would have claimed that the Lord sorted all of that out for me and, eventually, I found myself in a leadership role in one of Scotland's larger Charismatic Fellowships. It would be churlish of me not to admit that, during my years in that Fellowship, I received much that truly blessed me. However, although it was not the ultimate reason for my leaving the Fellowship, I was concerned by some of the behaviour that was manifest by many of the members - including some of those who were with me in leadership - when the so-called 'Toronto Blessing' was believed to have arrived among us. I was concerned when a specific prophesy that was given, by a visiting speaker, failed to come to pass. I wasn't prepared, under the New Covenant, to approve his death - but I expected that at least the senior pastor would have publically acknowledged that the prophecy had been false, and accepted some of the responsibility for allowing it to have been made 'on his watch'!

All of this, and more, came back to me yesterday, when I watched these videos. I recalled that I, myself, had been 'affected' by some of the phenomena that I was now seeing others manifest. For years, I had been saying (and would continue to say) that there is a sad lack of the gift of discernment in the Body of Christ. That, I believe, is at least partly because, in some places, it is so far divorced from the Head - even the Lord Himself. In those cases where I was laughing uncontrollably; going into involuntary spasms; even encouraging others in those areas that I found to be acceptable; I confess that I allowed my own better judgement to be clouded - which may be why the Lord used something much more personal to sever my relationship with that Fellowship.

I believe that these videos, and the message that they give, may be very timely. I have had to renounce a number of things in my life and, although no longer participating in most of these activities (I am happy to raise my hands in worship to the Lord; to dance; and to pray, in my own devotions, in tongues), I confess that I was once involved, and renounce all that was not of God the Holy Spirit, but of a false spirit that had wormed its way into the chuurch - and that appears to be gaining an increasing influence in certain circles.

Do take the time to watch the videos.

"He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Rev.2:7, inter al)