God is mighty! How is He going to show this in the last days?

Core verse:

And at the sounding of the first, a rain of ice and fire, mixed with blood, was sent on the earth: and a third part of the earth, and of the trees, and all green grass was burned up. (Revelation 8:7 BBE)

A trumpet was usually in Biblical times blown in battles. The first battle that we find in chapter 8, is God sending rain of ice (hail) and fire to the earth. This was mixed with blood, so it was red in color.

The hail and fire reminds me of the seventh plague in Egypt. This was when Moses and the Israelites were negotiating with the pharaoh to let the Israelite slaves go free. We read about this in Exodus 9:13-35. God was showing the pharaoh that He was powerful. Now in the Book of Revelations we read that God will do the same in the last days, but it will be red in color. Clearly this will demonstrate that God is all powerful.

Some people think that this “red” is significant because it is the color of lava coming out of a volcano. This might also be sand, dust or pollution that will color the skies red. Nowadays we see red skies because of pollution! This could very well also be a sign of the last days. However, the “red” colored skies could mean a lot of things. We can only speculate what this might be.

The point is that it will show the power of God for all to see. This was indeed the reason for the seventh plague in Egypt. 

The last part of the core verse is difficult to interpret. We read that a third of the trees and earth will burn but that ALL the grass will burn. This reminds me of the following verse:

The grass is dry, the flower is dead; but the word of our God is eternal. (Isaiah 40:8 BBE)

The dead grass in this verse in Isaiah tells us that the grass is temporary but the word of God is permanent. Perhaps the core verse (Revelation 8:7) is referencing to Isaiah 40:8. In other words, the third of the earth and trees and all the grass that dies may very well highlight the eternalness of the Word of God.

The main purpose of this verse (Revelation 8:7) is to show the earth that God is mighty. Red hail and fire, tighter with the dead grass points to the fact that God is mighty!

Till next time!

Thunder roared, lightning flashed, and the earth shook!

After this, the angel filled the incense container with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth. Thunder roared, lightning flashed, and the earth shook. (Revelation 8:5 CEV)

This chapter in the Book of Revelations is about an angel (possibly Jesus) that is giving the prayers of the believers on earth to God the father! In verse 4 we read that the incense represents the prayers of the believers and that God accepted the prayers of the believers. (This was broadly discussed in the last post). The incense container was now empty because the incense was burned and the smoke went upward and thus accepted by God the father!

In verse 5 we read that the empty incense container was filled with fire from the altar. The incense represents the prayers of the believers. The empty container represents that the prayers of the believers have now reached God the father. Now that the righteous is saved the angel proceeds with the next step!

The next step is to throw the fire on the earth. This is the same fire that was used to burn the incense. In other words, that which was used to take the prayers of believers to God the father was now being used in the judgment of the non-believers.

In other words, Christians are saved because we believe that Christ died for our sins so that we can receive the eternal life. Those that don’t believe that Christ died for their sins cannot receive the eternal life.

The main purpose of the core text of this post in the Book of Revelations is that it prepares the reader for the aftermath that now follows. The aftermath now is the first four trumpets that follow in this chapter!

Next time we will discuss the first trumpet!

Till next time!

Jesus prays for us! (Another angel, who had a gold container for incense...)

In the next few posts we are going to continue to discuss Revelation 8 and 9. Most scholars know this text as: “the cycle of the seven trumpets”. We know this text is about the final judgment of God. Does it tell us something about the end of time? Is it about the apocalypse? If so, how much time?

Core verse

Another angel, who had a gold container for incense, came and stood at the altar. This one was given a lot of incense to offer with the prayers of God's people on the gold altar in front of the throne. Then the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God's people, went up to God from the hand of the angel. (Revelation 8:3-4 CEV)

The first part of our core verse reminds me of the following text:

The gold altar that was used for burning incense was in this holy place. (Hebrews 9:4 CEV)

The Hebrews text refers to a temple of the Lord in the Old Testament. Usually incense wasn’t burned in a golden altar but in a copper altar.  The gold in our core text and the Hebrews text tell us something about the importance of the rituals that are now going to be performed.

Who was the other angel? There are two options:

·         It was Jesus.

·         It was another messenger from God.

I think the text refers to Jesus because it refers to gold and incense. Incense was burned to get a good smell. When Jesus was born, he received gold, perfume, and spices from the wise men. (Matthew 2:11 BBE). The Perfume and spices were about a good smell and we also see gold, which is also featuring in our core verse as the incense burner!

In our core verse the gold and incense refers to Jesus! I think the “other angel” is thus referring to Jesus. We can now see Jesus (the other angel) praying the prayers of God’s people as per our core verse.

What can we learn from Revelation 8:3-4?

·         If we pray, our prayers are going to God, but Jesus prays them to God for us. This can be so, because Jesus paid the ultimate price- the crucifixion.

·         Thanks to Jesus our prayers is acceptable for God. Through Jesus God is listening!

Till next time!

The apocalypse and the sound of trumpets.

In the next few posts we are going to discuss the book of Revelation, chapters 8 and 9. Most scholars know this text as: “the cycle of the seven trumpets”. We know this text is about the final judgment of God. Does it tell us something about the end of time? Is it about the apocalypse? If so, how much time?

Core verse:

I noticed that the seven angels who stood before God were each given a trumpet. (Revelation 8:2 CEV)

The core verse describes a scene in front of the throne of God. In this verse we find a description about the beings and items that are going to play a vital role in the next few scenes as the “other angel” comes into play.

We read that there is going to be SEVEN angels and SEVEN trumpets. Some people regard the number seven as a lucky number; perhaps you have even seen the number seven in the slot machines of casinos. “777” is usually a winning number. But the number seven is also one of the holy numbers of God and in this case it indicates that the angels and trumpets are from God and that seven things are going to happen (discussed in later posts).

The angels in this case are referring to messengers in heaven. Their purpose is to serve God and, in this case, to blow on the trumpets as the trumpets are given to them. Some Christians have even given names to these seven angels. I, for one, don’t think that they should be named as there are many angels! (Perhaps one of them was Michael.)

But why trumpets? Throughout the Bible trumpets have been used for many reasons. A few texts come to mind:

·         Then at the sound of the trumpets, you will come together to worship and to offer sacrifices on the altar. (Leviticus 23:24 CEV)

·         Give a signal on a trumpet when it is time to break camp. (Numbers 10:5 CEV)

·         A loud trumpet will be heard. Then the people of Israel who were dragged away to Assyria and Egypt will return to worship the LORD on his holy mountain in Jerusalem. (Isaiah 27:13 CEV)

·         At the sound of a loud trumpet, he will send his angels to bring his chosen ones together from all over the earth. (Matthew 24:31 CEV)

So we know it’s something to do with a signal, perhaps sacrifices and definitely that the people of God will be brought together. This might very well be describing the end of times!

Which signal do you think God is going to use at the end of times?

Till next time!

What does 1260 symbolize in the Bible?

Core text:

The woman ran into the desert to a place that God had prepared for her. There she would be taken care of for one thousand two hundred sixty days. (Revelation 12:6 CEV)

In our previous posts we discussed the story about Jesus. We ended with the resurrection and Jesus in heaven after His life on Earth. Now Jesus is in heaven, what is the church on Earth doing? Are they in any danger?

In our core text we read about a woman. What does the woman fleeing symbolize? After Jesus went to be with the Lord, His disciples had a hard time on Earth. They were thrown out of society and sometimes even sent to prison, like the apostle Paul! The “woman fleeing” may indeed represent the church feeing and hiding from the opposing people.

The desert, as the core text say, is a place that God prepared for her. No doubt this was a safe place for her to stay! The desert may be a place of testing (like the Israelites in the desert), but the context leans more to the side of a safe place (that God prepared).

But why is she going to stay there for 1260 days? If the woman represents the church, where is the church going to stay for that amount of days? As we have stated in the previous post, this is referring directly to the time after Jesus went to be with the Lord. The amount 1260 days or three and a half years represent the time that the Jews were tormented by a king (As per Daniel 12:7).

The number 1260 could be a biblical number symbolizing hardship. Any Jew that lived after Jesus would know that 1260 is the amount of days that they had some hardship. In the following days the church (represented by the woman) would have some hardship. And as the early Christians were prosecuted this became a true prophecy.

What is your understanding of the number 1260?

Till next time!!

Did Jesus rule with an iron rod?

Core text:

The woman gave birth to a son, who would rule all nations with an iron rod. The boy was snatched away. He was taken to God and placed on his throne. (Revelation 12:5 CEV)

What does the “iron rod” mean? Where do “all the nations” come in? Why was the boy snatched away? Where did he go?

In our previous post we came to the conclusion that “the son” in this piece of text (pericope) is Jesus the Messiah. Now we continue with the glimpse of history that the author is trying to portray in a mythological way.

Jesus was set to rule the nations by God. But this was not in a political way as the people of the time wanted. The people of the time of Jesus wanted a ruler that would have freed them from the mighty Roman Empire. No, Jesus was set to be a spiritual leader and the one to pay for sins so that all of mankind could be free from sin and to fulfill the Biblical prophecy from the Old Testament.

The “iron rod” was not an instrument to torment or hurt anyone, most definitely not to force anyone into following Jesus. An “iron rod” was an instrument that was used by shepherds to protect the flocks, usually of sheep, against predators. An example of a predator would be a wolf.

“All the nations” refers to Jesus that came for the sins of everyone and not only the Jews. Normal, non-Jewish people can also now be children of the Lord.

The “snatched away” and “placed on his throne” refers to Jesus that was resurrected form death. In other words it is referring to Jesus on the cross and how He was raised from death and went to heaven thereafter!

The verse thus tells the story of Jesus on Earth in a mythological way!

Share your experiences of the symbols with us!

Till next time!

The dragon and the child- Revelation 12:4

Core text: 

Then the dragon turned toward the woman, because it wanted to eat her child as soon as it was born. (Revelation 12:4 CEV)

In the core text for this post John, the author of the book of Revelation, gives us a glimpse of what happened back in the time when Jesus Christ was born. This part of Revelation is thus not about the future but about the past.

In our core text the dragon is a symbol for the evil one or the devil, perhaps even Satan. In the core verse the dragon is about to eat the child right after birth. This reminds me of at least one passage in the Bible:

…because Herod is looking for the child and wants to kill him. (Matthew 2:13 CEV)

The child in Matthew 2:13 is Jesus. King Herod was evil and wanted to kill the Messiah on birth because he felt threatened by the power of the Messiah. Now that fits into the picture of Revelation 12:4. The dragon is in this verse King Herod who was doing evil and chose to murder his opponents. In Revelation 12:4 the woman is thus the mother of Jesus and “ to eat” ment to kill.

Thus Herod wanted to kill Jesus as soon as Mary gave birth to Him. John communicated the birth of Jesus in a mythological way.

Give us your thoughts on the text

Till next time!