Revelations 3-5, 25 Dec 12

Okay, so tonight, Nicole Nieddu and I read Revelation 3 through the end of 5.  And, to be perfectly honest, I've got close to nothing.  This book continues to be so very enigmatic.  I'll go over what I read.

First of all, chapter 3 continues on with the angel of the Lord dictating messages to the rest of the seven churches - specifically Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.  Sardis was being scolded by the angel for only appearing to be alive but actually being spiritually dead.  Philadelphia was actually being praised for remaining faithful in the midst of Jewish persecution.  And, Laodicea was being scolded for being lukewarm as opposed to hot or cold.  The angel said that he would rather that they would be one or the other, but they weren't.

Alright, so...if I do have an application from this reading it would be from chapter 3.  We can obviously see what traits are important to the angel of God in these first three chapters and if one is asking themselves how to behave or what to do or not to do, then these three chapters give a good idea.  Chapter 3 specifically addresses a lack of sincerity, faithfulness, and indecisiveness with regard to your faith.  So, be sincere in your faith.  Be full of faith.  Be hot (passionate) for God.

Retrieved from
http://www.imagesofrevelation.com/revelations/revelation1_4-6.htm

There is no doubt that I have lacked these traits before and honestly continue to lack these traits today.  My faith is not always sincere.  There are days I am more faithful and days I am less.  And on those days where faith may be lacking, I continue on with the facade.  It's simpler that way, honestly.  There are other days where my faith is completely intact.  It is dichotomous, but that's kind of how it has always been.  The problem is that I'm a bit of a doubting Thomas.  I need to touch the holes in His sides and hands.  I've never liked that about me.  But, I'm an analyst at heart and in my line of work, faith just isn't good enough.


Chapters 4 and 5 were starting into the descriptions of things that make no sense and are almost impossible to imagine even though you read about them.  Creatures with six wings and eyes covering every inch of their body?  A sea of glass?  I understand that we're looking at a throne room of some sort.  I get that there are a multitude of people in there as well.  I comprehend the 24 thrones and 24 elders.  But, those are concrete ideas that make sense to my mortal mind.  The rest of it is almost nonsense to me.

Retrieved from
http://www.imagesofrevelation.com/revelations/revelation1_4-6.htm

The last tidbit I got from tonight's reading (oh, and by the way,  George Nieddu, got us the Archaeological NIV Study Bible for Christmas) was in the study notes.  I was interested to read about the history of the name Philadelphia.  The Philadelphia of the Bible is modern day Alashehir.  The city's founder's name was Attalus II Philadelphus and he was known for being devoted to his brother, Eumenes.  And his name means "brotherly love".  And that is why Philadelphia is nick-named the city of brotherly love.

Revelation 1-2; 18 Dec 12

So, this is, in part a follow-up to a post on my other blog.  You can view that post here.

After my wife and I started talking about everything, we decided to restart a Bible study.  Neither of us has read the Bible consistently for years.  I asked her where she would like to start and how she would like to go about doing it.  I know that when I used to conduct Bible studies in California, she wasn't overly comfortable with the format we chose.  As I've done in previous Bible study posts on this blog, we would utilize the S.O.A.P. method and then we would share with each other what we had written. 

The Rosetta Stone

But, she told me that she would like to go through Revelation.  And, initially, I almost always avoid reading through Revelation.  I know that I shouldn't avoid any certain aspect of the Bible.  But, there is just so much room for interpretation that to me, it is literally impossible for western civilization to understand.  First of all, there is the linguistic and cultural hurdles to jump.  If you don't A) understand the language that the original was written in and the cultural significance of each and every word used (not just the literal translation, but the colloquial understanding of that word) then you won't ever understand the MEANING behind what is being communicated; and B) understand the audience it was intended for and the issues all parties involved were dealing with, then again, the meaning of what is being communicated will be lost.  You could have the literal translation completed and still not have a clue as to what it means without the cultural relativism.

Illustration inspired by the book of Revelation. Image recovered
from: http://www.tonyhj.ca/Chronicles/Oxbow120804.html

Secondly, there is the imagery used.  How in the world is someone actually supposed to interpret all of the imagery used in Revelation?  I dare say it is not possible without direct intervention from God.

Having said that, I agreed to go through Revelation knowing that, even with my objections, God is still God and is capable of communicating some lesson or other in what we're reading.  And that's really what this post is about.

So, tonight, my wife and I read through Revelation, chapters 1 and 2. 

The first two chapters mainly consisted of the introduction to the book and some of the imagery and message of Revelation.  The imagery described talks about seven lamp stands with the one in the middle looking like a man.  That man is presumably God.  According to Revelation 1:14-16, "His head and His hair were white like wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire.  His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters." And here is verse 16, which is what pertains most to these first two chapters, "In His right hand, He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength." 

So, each of those stars represents one of seven different churches and the first few chapters (I think 5 chapters, but I'm not 100% sure) go through each one of those seven stars/churches and God gives His warning to each of them.  Chapter 2 dealt with:

• Ephesus
• Smyrna
• Pergamum
• Thyatira

Basically,  God was telling John (the author of Revelation and the one to whom the vision was given) to send a message to each of the seven churches.  And for each of these churches (at least so far in Chapter 2), God had both good and bad.  He would start out by communicating what they were doing correct.  Ephesus persevered through turmoil and would not tolerate evil men.  Smyrna was persecuted by the Jews and had to endure that.  Pergamum held fast to God's name in the midst of "Satan's throne" (Rev 2:13).  Thyatira was known to have increased in faith and deeds as time went on - it showed growth in its faith.

But, then God followed that with a warning for each place.  For Ephesus, God told them that they had left their first love (v. 2:4).  Smyrna is an exception to this format - God only had a warning that things would get worse before they got better with regard to their persecution and admonished them to hold fast.  Pergamum allowed paganism in its midst (v. 2:14-17).  And for Thystira, God was angry that they allowed Jezebel, the false prophetess, to stay in the church and continue to lead people astray (v. 2:20-21).

And finally, each of those churches, with the exception of Smyrna as I discussed before, were given an out.  God didn't just tell them what they were doing wrong, but He told them how to fix it.

There were also a few interesting tidbits of history interspersed throughout the note sections of my and my wife's study Bibles.  But, I won't go too much into that.  Except this one bit.  This is actually my biggest takeaway from tonight's reading.  It is a reminder.  In Revelation 2:6, the Bible says, "Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."  God just said He hated something...hopefully your ears perked up a little bit.

My study notes say this, "A problem in Pergamum also (vv. 12-15), this heresy was similar to the teaching of Balaam (vv. 14, 15).  Nicolas means "one who conquers the people."  Irenaeus writes that Nicolas, who was made a deacon in Ac 6, was a false believer who later became apostate; but because of his credentials he was able to lead the church astray...Clement of Alexander says, 'They abandoned themselves to pleasure like goats, leading a life of self-indulgence.'  Their teaching perverted grace and replaced liberty with license."1

That last sentence is my own emphasis, because to me, this is the most pertinent part.  I know that it is a huge debate in the church, and I don't want this to be a forum for the debate, but I do believe the Bible teaches the "once-saved-always-saved" philosophy.  And, this is a reminder that just because we have that grace, we are NOT to abuse it.  

So, all of that to say that tonight, I was reminded not to take the grave of God on my soul and eternity for granted and to keep myself in check with regard to my lifestyle.

As always, your thoughts, ideas, and opinions are welcome!  

1MacArthur, John. "Revelation 2:6." The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. Updated ed. Nashville: Nelson Bibles, 2006. 1964. Print.