Get Up

Note: It may be helpful to read my introduction to this series in order to have some context and understand my disclaimers. You can find that post here.



In this final video where Rowe closes up the S.W.E.A.T. Pledge, I find what is maybe the most important of all the principles. It will make or break all of the others we have examined in this miniseries.

Most people (but not all) will be able to “show up” for life to do what is necessary. But there is an intangible quality to the fact that a much smaller group demonstrate an internal fire and personal commitment to “get up” long before what is necessary and do what it takes to be excellent.

Angela Duckworth calls it “grit” in her well-known TED Talk.

And Rowe is right. This commitment is about choices.

It is not about talent; it takes no talent to get up earlier and work harder than anybody else. It is not about education; you cannot teach this to others in a lecture hall. It is not something that can be medicated or consumed as a product.

This commitment is an internal commitment to be a part of something (to use the cliche) “bigger than yourself.” For many from the secular perspective, they find this fire by being internally committed to themselves. Others find this in their commitment to the larger team, community, or group of “others.” I am assuming that for some, this internal fire is even dysfunctionally fueled by guilt, insecurity, and fear.

Appropriately placed (in my mind), this fire comes from a deep and abiding belief in what is most true about the world: a belief that God is putting the world back together, that this project is deeply meaningful to lots of other people and a planet that suffers from all kinds of brokenness. It is a belief that God is looking for partners and an unbelievable gratitude that we get the opportunity to be a part of these restoration efforts.

We have the opportunity to get up every day and be a part of what the Jews call tikkun olam, or “the repairing of the world.” If this opportunity doesn’t inspire us to be deeply committed to personal growth and hard work — not for ourselves and our own Towers of Babel, but for the wholeness of the universe — then I don’t know what will.

But getting up and working hard is the piece we can control that has the ability, when used by God, to turn morsels into miracles. When neglected, it is also the thing that has killed more potential than any other problem we have ever encountered.

Of all the principles we looked at in this series, if there is one thing I could magically give to each of my students, it would be this principle of hard work and dedication combined with a healthy understanding of identity and a true rest of the Spirit that comes from knowing we are loved as we are. It should be a beautiful mixture of work and rest — work finding its appropriate place, and a healthy human being at rest in the love, value, and acceptance of God.

And the bummer is that you cannot manufacture this in a blog post any more than you can in a classroom.

But the combination of those two realities can change a world — your world. And when enough of our worlds are changed, it helps us be a part of changing the big one. This is why I work with college students: I have a deep, abiding belief that if you can mentor this in enough students, you can change the course of history. If you Impact the U, you Impact the World.

No Substitute for Common Sense

Note: It may be helpful to read my introduction to this series in order to have some context and understand my disclaimers. You can find that post here.




“Guidelines are great, but they are no substitute for common sense.”

For me, this video was not the most inspiring in Rowe’s series, but the content is decent, and the point is well taken. Even though people tell you that your safety is their priority, it does not remove it from being your responsibility. I think this goes for a lot of other things as well, not just safety. People might say this about your education or your success — they would suggest it is their priority; however, that doesn’t mean it stops being your responsibility.

I like it. There won’t be a lot to say here. Pretty straightforward.

But one passing thought: Some of these same ideas are relevant in a culture that loves to blame others for our circumstances. We love to point fingers and talk about how our situation is brought about by our family, our employer, our government, our neighborhood, our school. We go on endless rants about how somebody else’s mistakes have created my mess.

And this may even be true some of the time.

And I’m definitely not suggesting accountability doesn’t matter or that we shouldn’t fight for justice. That is not my point at all, and anybody who knows me will know I am a big proponent of pursuing those things.

But there is a very significant line crossed when the objectivity of pursuing justice, mercy, and accountability becomes the subjectivity of blame.

People (especially leaders) should be held accountable for the worlds they create.

But we are responsible — solely — for how we respond to our circumstances. And I do get frustrated when people pick one of these sides and denounce the other. They are not mutually exclusive. I say that with all of the awareness of the comfort and privilege I bring to the conversation. As a white male, my list of circumstances working against me is horribly short. And yet, some of the people who have taught me the most about responsibility (especially in the last few years) have been people with much less privilege and comfort than I have.

So accountability does not remove responsibility. And responsibility does not remove the need for accountability. Can both of these statements be true? I certainly hope so.

What does this mean for you and your circumstances? It is not for me to say. I cannot understand what it is to walk in your shoes and I cannot apply wisdom in your life (only my own); but together, we learn from each other.

[Maybe] The Best Thing to Ever Happen to You

Note: It may be helpful to read my introduction to this series in order to have some context and understand my disclaimers. You can find that post here.



Rowe took time in this video to share multiple stories of rejection he experienced on the path to his own calling. While I’m not a major fan of the phrase “pursuit of happiness,” I really did appreciate his overall point. But I would like to add something I don’t feel he touched on.

Throughout his story, the obtrusive question I kept thinking about was, “Why did he keep going down this path?” I do not ask that question with an assumption of the negative (“He should have tried something else!”), but rather an assumption of the positive (“Why was he driven to persevere?”).  The fact of the matter is that Rowe would have never learned this great life lesson to share with the rest of us if he had not kept going back, again and again. But because he did, he learned a very important lesson about rejection.

I believe some people have an internal awareness of the thing they are made to do. There is this inner voice that tells them they exist to be a part of some idea or create a certain experience. Because of this, they keep getting up and walking down the same road. I do not want to give the impression that I understand the psychology behind this reality; certainly, insecurity rears its ugly head in many different ways for so many of us.

I do know what I have experienced with my students, though. Many of them are very quick to question what we are doing and who we are becoming. Many of us see obstacles and frustrations as signs that we’re not made to do “this” and we change our track. I often feel like every time we do this, we begin to suffer an increasing lack of resilience and rising levels of doubt about ourselves.

This is not to say that obstacles and pushback are not powerful tools to help us make decisions and find the best fit in life, but I want to recognize that there is a tacit awareness, a resonance of the soul, a leading of the Spirit, that wants to guide us to who we are becoming. When we find that thing, we need to run down that path with a resilient commitment to the calling. We need to trust that calling and learn from our mistakes — which is another thing I feel like Rowe didn’t address. He probably learned a great many things from those experiences of rejection. Still, we push on, knowing that if we keep pushing toward the good, we will experience hardship and rejection. And yet, through it all, the relentless pursuit of our calling might just lead us to a place better than we could ever hope or imagine.

REVELATION: The End is a New Beginning

John now works his apocalyptic vision toward its ultimate closing.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

John continues to draw from the imagery of Ezekiel (in this case, chapter 47), using the image of an angel showing the prophets the apocalyptic conclusion to his vision. The allusions continue, as what John sees is very similar to what Ezekiel saw. Ezekiel also saw a river and trees that bore fruit for the healing of the nations. Allusions to the Psalms and to Jeremiah abound, as well. It seems as though everything God’s people longed for is still — according to John — something to long for, and still in process.

It’s coming, John says.

I think it’s also worth noting here that John is deliberately bringing us full circle back to the beginning of the story of God. There are plenty of direct and indirect allusions to the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life. Some have suggested John is mirroring the creation imagery in his vision. This would make sense, as we’ve seen in the rest of Johannine literature that John loves to work around with the Creation story motif. Could it be John is bringing us back to where it all began? Remember, in the beginning, Genesis said God separated light from darkness — but the “source” of that light (the sun) wasn’t created until day four. Could John be alluding to these beginnings by suggesting that there is light, but no sun? It seems likely.

The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”

“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”

Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

John (in the vision) is overwhelmed by the things he sees. He falls to worship, but the angel calls to him to make sure his worship remains pure. Is this a call for the readers of this vision, as well? Possibly. The language used by the angel here mirrors that of other visions, in particular at least three different sections in Daniel (chapters 8, 9, and 12). And there may be hints at the closing of Isaiah (chapter 65, and others might even suggest chapter 40).

John’s message continues: It’s all coming true. It’s all coming to pass. You must overcome! You must persevere.

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

They must hang in there. John gives them words from Jesus, a testimony for the churches. They must not give in to uncertainly or despair, for the reward of staying true to their convictions will not only be the opportunity to drink freely of the water of life, but to see the culmination of thousands of years of faithfulness on behalf of their ancestors. God’s great redemption project is finding its true and complete fulfillment! But not if they give up.

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

While many get worked up about these verses (which are important, no doubt), what is often missed is the fact that these words are taken (surprise!) from earlier writings. Deuteronomy had similar prohibitions. Even the wisdom of the Proverbs used similar words to talk about the record.

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

And with that prayer of anticipation, John closes his apocalyptic vision.

And we close our study of the Scriptures. But we simply can’t end the conversation here, for this conversation raises historical questions that nag us as twenty-first-century readers. As the Bible ends, the persecuted people of God are standing strong against the empire of Rome. They are watching Rome crumble in the face of a subversive movement and a commitment to peace, love, and compassion. Multiple times throughout the New Testament, we heard the writers exclaim or allude to the fact that they believed the world would see the return of Jesus within even a generation or two.

Were they wrong? How could we have gone through such trying times and watch the fall of the most powerful empire in the world and not see the end of this story? How did we get to where we are today?

In short, what happened?

REVELATION: A New City

And now Revelation begins to wind to a close as we see heaven and earth returning to God’s original intent. Indeed, John’s message of encouragement is finding its ultimate fulfillment in the affirming close of John’s vision. John speaks in Revelation 21 of a moving reunion of heaven and earth, a reunion the whole earth has been waiting for (see Romans 8) since soil and spirit had been ripped apart near the beginning of the narrative.

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

One cannot read this climactic resolution to John’s visions and not think of the last half of Isaiah 65. But in this, we also see John bringing together all sorts of other mini-narratives, not the least of these being the marital imagery we spoke of all the way back in the Exodus. The vision speaks of God wiping away tears, something that was yearned for by Jeremiah (see chapters 25 and 35). Everything the prophets spoke of and yearned for is finally experienced here. It’s a tragedy that we focus on and argue about so many of the apocalyptic details that we miss the driving image of worship and hope that lies at the end of John’s vision.

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Still more prophets find their fulfillment in this vision of John. Ezekiel’s vision of the new temple (an apocalyptic vision), as well as many statements made by Zechariah, drive the images John describes here. One couldn’t think of drinking freely of the water of life without remembering Isaiah’s words in chapter 55. And as far as God dealing with the immoral, it is more than a simple pronouncement of judgment on unbelievers. The preceding statement is a reference to 2 Samuel 7, but not just any reference: God was speaking to David about building His temple, something John is discussing in this very passage.

The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

Following in the custom of the apocalyptic prophets who had gone before him, John has the Temple measured. But this time, John doesn’t miss the opportunity to make a major statement about this new Kingdom as seen in Jesus. This time, the Temple and the city is even bigger than it was in Ezekiel. There is enough of everything to go around for everybody who needs to be there. The numbers chosen scream out “one united people of God!” 12,000 stadia square this city is. Not only is this length an obvious multiple of 12 (the number for God’s people, as in the twelve tribes), but it’s just under 1400 miles long. John’s point is that Ezekiel didn’t think big enough. God’s new city is going to cover the entire civilized world as they knew it. The walls are over 200 feet thick, but again, what’s striking is that John uses multiples of 12 to get his message across. This is about people. There is enough heaven to go around for everyone!

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Yes, everything is as it ought to be. John finishes with references to the closings of other apocalyptic visions. Images of nations streaming to the city of God and the gates never being shut bring us back to the prophecies of Zechariah and Isaiah.

John’s message continues to be one of hope. God will get the last word. Things will end up as they’ve been spoken of before. To those original readers who are scared for their lives, even dying by Domitian’s sword, John is reminding them of what the ancients said long before. John is calling them to keep running the race and not give up on the glorious plan of God’s redemption of all creation.

And with that, we move on to the final chapter of our Scriptures.

REVELATION: The Greatest Hallelujah

So we have seen the eminent demise of empire.

The olympic games have concluded, and the victor is taking the stand.

The verdict is in and the gavel has been slammed.

The beast has been shown for what it truly is.

After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:

“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
    for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute
    who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

And with that, the song of triumph begins for all of God’s people. For all who did not desire the ways of the dragon and who did not take the mark of the beast, there is hope. For all who persevered and overcame, there was vindication. Just as we saw time and time again through the letters to the seven churches, God was waiting to crown those who overcome with a crown of righteousness and the opportunity to eat from the tree of life.

And again they shouted:

“Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”

The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:

“Amen, Hallelujah!”

Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

“Praise our God,
    all you his servants,
you who fear him,
    both great and small!”

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah!
    For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
    and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
    and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
    was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)

John quotes or alludes to all kinds of writings from Israel’s past. He starts with Isaiah (compare Isaiah 34:10 to Revelation 19:3). By doing this, John is doing so much more than simply calling for the fiery judgment of God’s enemies. John is referencing the ancient imprecatory prayers of God’s people. Imprecatory prayers (often seen in the Psalms) are prayers where God’s people cry out for justice in the face of injustice. These passages are often incredibly difficult to read (or not, for some of us) as we try to theologically square them with a God of love and forgiveness. But imprecatory prayers were actually quite revolutionary for their day. Instead of turning to pagan magic (i.e., casting “spells” or harmful curses on another, prevalent in Canaanite through Greco-Roman cultures), these prayers would voice one’s true feelings while simultaneously turning the outcome (and vengeance) over to God.

By quoting Isaiah, John is saying the justice — or mishpat, as we’ve studied before — that those long past have cried out for is finally upon us. The world is being made right. And everything that people throughout the ages have endured is finding its culmination in this moment. As we’ve seen before, this moment is being displayed as a great wedding feast — a central image in the narrative of God.

Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”

John is so overcome by what happens around him (in his vision) that he must be stopped from worshipping the wrong individuals. This leads to a statement more profound than we realize when the angel tells him about the Spirit of prophecy. For most of first-century Judaism, the belief was that the Spirit of prophecy had gone missing some time ago. According to the prophet Amos, God told the people of Israel that He would shut up the mouths of the prophets; Joel had also prophesied that those prophesies would one day return when the restoration of all things was finally upon us. Most Jews saw their current situation as being void of the Spirit of prophecy; John is insinuating that a new day of restoration — the Age to Come, or olam haba — was upon them. The Spirit of prophecy is back!

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

           KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 

And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”

And with that, the great hero makes his entrance onto the stage as the closing scenes of the book of Revelation commence. Using imagery from the beginning of the book (itself being pulled from passages in Tanakh), this hero is described as the victorious rider on a white horse. We are told about his name and his character. In similar fashion to the opening of this vision, he still has a long sword of judgment coming from his mouth. He comes to consume all of creation and put it to righteous judgment. This isn’t so much a judgment of individuals (not that it isn’t about individuals, but the picture here is important), but a judgment of all of creation. This isn’t just about people standing in some cosmic courtroom and being judged as much as it is about all things being made new.

The earth is being made right. Faithfulness and Truth are, in fact, having the last word. And this means evil needs to be dealt with, once and for all.

REVELATION: The Woman on a Beast

And as John begins to bring this epic showdown to a close, we find the villain entering on cue. Revelation 17:

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”

Babylon, the image driving the end of this apocalyptic vision from John, is often pictured in the prophets as a prostitute who lures the nations into her adultery. One would think of Isaiah 23 or Jeremiah 51 as direct references that would have particular relevance to this conversation. Babylon becomes the apocalyptic image for kingdoms of evil. Just as Babylon terrorized the people of the Old Testament and fell into disrepair, so would every kingdom spoken of in apocalyptic imagery. The fall of Babylon becomes a foreshadowing of what happens to empire in every form.

Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. The name written on her forehead was a mystery:

BABYLON THE GREAT
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.

It’s hard to miss the parallel John is drawing between the old stories and prophecies against Babylon and her first-century counterpart — Rome. Her fall is inevitable, and she is far from a metaphor. The people of God have felt her cruelty; she is drunk on the blood of the martyrs.

When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.

“This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.”

This is one of those paragraphs that people will interpret many different ways. We have to try to identify the heads and the horns and make sense out of the passage above using past kingdoms, Roman emperors, or other ideas. Some will use this passage to make the case for an earlier date (or even a later date) for Revelation. Some will immediately jump to the future (or modern day) and start making sense out of it all. I’m not going to try to make sense out of it here, as I’m still working on it myself. I simply don’t have any answers at this point in my study, but I can say with confidence, after what we have looked at, that I want to use a consistent hermeneutic — not assume that this is speaking of the future.

And yet the one thing that cannot be denied is John’s point that this beast represents Satan and his relationship with Rome. Rome was known far and wide (as well as throughout history) as the “city on seven hills.” By saying that this beast’s seven heads are seven hills on which the harlot sits is a clear identification of Rome. So even though we may have some questions about the details, the big picture is easy to work with.

“The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

However, Satan will ruin this harlot. He will leave her destroyed, for that is what the beast does — even to those who swear their allegiance to the beast.

There are a few things we know for sure, but John presents at least two clear points. First, the Lamb will triumph. Though the beast wages war and the battle looks lopsided, there will be no contest, for the Lamb is the Lord of lords and the King of kings. He wins, John says, period. Second, the harlot will be ruined by the beast. Empire will always lead to the same end; evil cannot sustain itself. It does not belong in God’s created order. The great city (i.e., Rome) that rules over the earth, though it looks to be unstoppable, is part of a system that cannot last. It will come tumbling down.

The jury is back. The verdict is in. While the buzzer hasn’t sounded yet, the outcome is clear.

John invites God’s persecuted people to believe it — and overcome.

REVELATION: Bowls of Destruction

As mentioned before, we will see that chapter 16 draws a bleak picture of the world the people of Revelation endure.

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.”

The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

I have heard discussion about the cultural possibilities of these “festering sores,” but I have never found a description I feel completely sold on from a historical perspective (not that they aren’t out there). I can say this would be a great opening description for somebody who knew their Text. Such a reference would take us back to the Exodus and its plagues (as we’ve seen before in Revelation), and a Jewish reader might think of Deuteronomy 28 where God warns His people of boils and sores for disobedience.

The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead person, and every living thing in the sea died.

We see here yet another reference blatantly calling the reader back to the deliverance of the Exodus.

The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:

“You are just in these judgments, O Holy One,
    you who are and who were;
for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets,
    and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.”

And I heard the altar respond:

“Yes, Lord God Almighty,
    true and just are your judgments.”

And we have continued images of judgment and references to the Tanakh. Most study Bibles will even notice this reference calls us back to Isaiah 49 (and possibly others).

The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.

As I pointed out previously, these images are deeply rooted in Hebrew Scriptures to the deliverance of God’s people; they do not evoke horror or terror to the reader. For many of us, we read Revelation and see the horrendous judgment of God, but for the first readers of this letter, they saw the promised deliverance of the faithful.

The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.

True to form, John continues to use consistent imagery from the plagues of the Exodus and the promises of Isaiah (and in this particular case, Isaiah 8). And as we’ve seen before, each of these references could teach even larger sermons by looking in the context of the reference. For example, when you see the reference to Isaiah 8, you would pay attention and notice that it comes at the close of a section about Assyria’s oppression and God’s deliverance. Simply reading the passage of reference adds layers to the Revelation teaching you never knew were there.

The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.

“Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”

Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

More references to the Exodus can be seen here. And then John references the great “Armageddon.” But what many readers don’t know is that this reference does not speak forward to a futuristic battle, but rather backwards to battles long past. Armageddon is a reference to har megeddon, or “mountain of Meggido,” in the Hebrew. The city of Meggido was one of the fortress cities toward the northern part of the Via Maris — the great highway through the land of Israel. Battle after battle was fought in the Jezreel Valley, just outside of the mountain of Meggido. It becomes the perfect backdrop for John’s grand apocalyptic vision.

The Jezreel Valley, where battle after battle was fought in history

The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.

And here (as well as with the quote above about coming “like a thief”) we see references that we made earlier when we studied the letter to Sardis.

But we’ve now spent a handful of chapters talking about the many ways John has set up the great battle, the great competition, and the great games of light and darkness. Having just referenced the “mountain of Megiddo,” the stage is set well for us to begin to move toward the culmination of this battle. This image is where we will turn our attention to next.

REVELATION: The Blessed and Faithful Fallen

There won’t be a lot of new things found in the following Text, as it will be a continuation and reinforcement of the pictures and ideas we have already studied. Let’s pick right up in the fourteenth chapter of Revelation:

Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

And with that, John calls back to numerous images we have already spoken about. Whether we think of it in terms of the Olympic games and the great competition, or an apocalyptic showdown between the kingdoms in the heavens, we have a clear picture of the clash that is taking place. We have the dragon/beast tag team going up against the Lamb and his followers. Having already addressed the slain lamb earlier and spoken about the great multitude of 144,000, John has set the stage for this epic confrontation. On one side will be the intimidating beast and his followers — all wearing his mark; and on the other side, the slain lamb and his followers who are wearing his name on their foreheads. Once we are enabled to see the book of Revelation in its context, the juxtaposition is almost impossible to miss.

When John references the sound from heaven “like the roar of rushing waters” and loud peals of thunder, not only does he pull his material from the Tanakh (the most likely source being Isaiah), but he also ties it contextually into culture, as well. In our previous post about Pergamum, we spoke about the god Asclepius and the “hospital” known as the Asclepion. In the center of the Asclepion is a running spring (still flowing to this day) and the sound of rushing water is connected to the healing and restorative voice of Asclepius. Could the reference to harps be a nod toward the people of God heading into captivity, throwing their harps up into the trees in mourning? Possibly.

Water engineered to run down the stairwell at the entrance of the
Asclepion diagnostic center in Pergamum which created...

...the sound of rushing water that reverberated throughout this acoustically
designed tunnel.

Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

A second angel followed and said, “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”

You can feel the anticipation for this great showdown building as you listen to the angels flying around the scene. If one were to think of this scene visually, they would feel like this contest is staggeringly weighted. This seven-headed beast that rises out of the sea and takes his stand on the beach is up against a slain lamb and a bunch of virgin followers. It would seem like this is going to be a massacre.

But the angels give way to a different story. Singing about the glory of the Creator Judge and the fall of the great beast, they seem to be celebrating a bit early, don’t they? But maybe this is the point. Maybe the end of this story is inevitable and we can celebrate.

A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

And now, John calls the readers to stay committed to patient endurance. This road will not be an easy one to walk, but its destination is certain and sure. John reminds them we know how this story ends; it’s a story that has been written for a very long time.

To make that point stick, John uses imagery that — once again — has been pulled straight from Tanakh. By suggesting the beast and his followers will be drinking the cup of wrath, filled with God’s fury, John pulls his readers back to passages like Jeremiah 25, Psalm 69, or Psalm 79.

But this will not feel like victory celebrations galore. The walking of this path will be a journey filled with toil, tribulation, and strife — even death.

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Yes, this first-century resistance will often lead to death. As we saw earlier in the book of Revelation, John is not afraid to deal with the very stark realities of what faithfulness looks like in the face of this beast. But John insists their deeds and their faithfulness will have eternal ripples.

And indeed they do. I have sat in the shaded ruins of Ephesus and read the words of Revelation to myself and to others. I have heard them read to me, and the ripples of those who gave their lives still impact my heart today. May we believe the deeds we engage in today matter, as well.

My students and I, revisiting the story of those lost first-century heroes
of Ephesus, while we sit in the modern day ruins.

REVELATION: Bittersweet Prophecy

Our previous discussion surrounding Revelation 8 and 9 had a definite focus on Greco-Roman culture and its impact on the interpretation of Revelation. That means we ought to look at Revelation 10 with eyes turned toward the ancient Hebrew Text. I don’t do this to be cute or simply for the sake of redundancy; I do this because it is such a radically different way of reading Revelation than most of us were handed. It takes a redundant training to help us remember the lenses through which we ought to see apocalyptic literature — culture and text, text and culture, and text to context.

So we turn our sights toward Revelation 10 with a desire to keep our eyes peeled for references to the Tanakh, and particularly the apocalyptic books.

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”

Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, “There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’ ” I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”

Now, maybe you are starting to pick up on some of the references yourself. Did you hear anything that you might have heard before? If not, that’s fine, because many of us were not taught the importance and relevance of the “Old Testament.” However, from this point on, we ought to remind ourselves frequently of the need to get into that front two thirds of our Bibles — if we’re ever going to understand our New Testament properly.

But I digress. You may have noticed a few sprinkled references pulled out of the book of Daniel as you read the passage above. You may have also noted Ezekiel. John seems to be pulling language from the beginning of Ezekiel and the end of Daniel — both books being apocalyptic visions. John continues to be set on the goal of encouraging his readers to persevere in hope.

Let’s take a closer look at a couple of these callbacks to Ezekiel. Consider Ezekiel 1:

I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.

This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

I would encourage you to read the larger portions surrounding this passage; it continues to add to the brilliant picture John is referring to. Nevertheless, we have an incredibly similar description of the visions here, complete with references to that “rainbow in the clouds.” Such a phrase would have certainly taken the Jewish reader back to the story of Noah. In all of this apocalyptic talk of seals and trumpets and earthquakes and destruction, is this a message of fear? With one reference, John is able to speak to those fears, remind people that God promised always to remember His covenant with the earth, and also remind them that their ancestors had heard this message before — right from the mouth of Ezekiel.

Consider, as well, the more recognizable reference to Ezekiel 3:

And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.

He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them. You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language, but to the people of Israel—not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. But the people of Israel are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate. But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are. I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, harder than flint. Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.” 

Again, you could keep reading in Ezekiel 3 and continue to see parallels to Revelation; and again, please realize that this message in Revelation has — without a doubt — been heard before. John is not saying brand new things; he is saying things that have been said long before him in ancient texts.

You can almost hear John communicating his intent and call in the Revelation 10 reference (see above). He inserts the Greek word palin into the Text, a word meaning “again” or “anew.”

“You must prophesy again…”

“These people need that encouragement; they need the reminder. This is a hard calling, John. My words are sweet to the taste, but they are hard to hear and digest when you are sitting in the heat of oppression and fear. But go tell them, John. Tell them I’ve never forgotten them. Tell them what they are fighting for and trying to preserve is worth it. Tell them to overcome. Tell them to run the raced marked out for them.”

REVELATION: Let the Games Begin

Instead of going through Revelation 8 and 9 like a broken record, it might be the perfect time to break up the monotony and point out other very important cultural parallels John is employing. These parallels revolve around the Olympic games.

Started by the ancient Greeks, Olympic Games were a celebration of the Greek Olympiad (mythology of gods) and the power of the Greek empire. Even as the world was Romanized, these tenets carried through, although they became much more imperially minded. One of the things the games celebrated was the place of the gods. As you ran in the games, you were running to extol the glory of whatever god was being represented. Later, in the Roman world, this was applied to your city and country; you ran to prove to the world the greatness of the god of your city. It cannot be overstated that your performance was tied to the god you represented — not your individual talent, as we are used to today.

From what evidence we have about the games, we can piece together a pretty good picture of how things went down. Though it’s certainly been done with some liberty to make the most sense of history (it’s not like we found an ancient program hiding under the bleachers), the picture with its many parts is all there. I originally heard this lesson from my teacher, Ray Vander Laan, and many of those pieces can be found in the works mentioned at the beginning of our Revelation series (authors like Stauffer, Worth, and others).

What follows is a general outline of how they would open the Olympic Games:

1) Presentation of the Emperor — Caesar enters to the acclaim of all those who are gathered in the stands.

2) Herald’s Announcements — The emperor was almost always introduced by the recitation of his mighty deeds and accomplishments.

3) Caesar’s Pronouncements — Caesar would take the opportunity to speak to the cities and regions that were represented. The pronouncements often followed a typical outline: “I’ve heard of your [positive traits], … but I have this against you [negative traits and warnings].”

4) Chorus Sings Imperial Praise — The crowd, dressed in white robes (the accepted attire to attend the games), would sing, led by the 24 priests of the 24 legal Roman religions we’ve discussed before.

5) Games Opened — Another herald would read a scroll, again extolling the greatness of the gods and Caesar, king of kings and god most high; this ushered in the beginning of the competition.

6) Chariot Races — As far as we can tell, the first event was always the same and served as more of a ritual or ceremonial event to kick off the games — the chariot races. The colors of the horses appear to be consistent for each event: black, white, red, and spotted/pale.

7) Trumpets — Trumpets sound and the opening ceremonies are complete.

Let the games begin!

For our astute readers, you have probably already noticed that the opening nine chapters of Revelation are laid out by John exactly like the opening to the Olympic Games. Follow me back through the steps:

1) Presentation of the Emperor — (Revelation 1a) God is presented as the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty.

2) Herald’s Announcements — (Revelation 1b) John hears a voice telling him to write down what he sees: the greatness of God.

3) Caesar’s Pronouncements — (Revelation 2-3) The seven letters to the seven churches, following the “I’ve heard about your [positive traits], … but I have this against you” format.

4) Chorus Sings Imperial Praise — (Revelation 4 & 7) The crowd in Revelation, dressed in white robes, sings, led by the 24 elders.

5) Games Opened — (Revelation 5) The slain lamb is found worthy to open the scroll with seven seals, a scroll with writing on both sides.

6) Chariot Races — (Revelation 6) The horses and chariots appear, with all the colors to match.

7) Trumpets — Trumpets sound and the games begin.

What does all of this mean? It means John is writing his apocalyptic vision against the backdrop of the Olympic Games. In a very real sense, the reader who sees this would understand what John is saying: “We find ourselves in a great olympic competition! Who is going to win?” Throughout his writing, it seems the enemy (Rome, Babylon, the beast, the dragon, etc.) has the upper hand. The book does not dance around the very real persecution and apparent defeat that the original readers are struggling through.

But just as my teacher told me, I think John is saying something more.

He’s saying the way we conduct ourselves in the world is how we tell the world what our God is like. If the games were an opportunity to put your god on display, then the struggle we endure is our opportunity to do the same. The way we persevere, and the way we overcome — the way we run — is what will tell the world who our God is. May we be reminded of the words we studied back in Hebrews:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.