When we drive down a highway there is
something we find nearly everywhere that is almost impossible to
avoid. Alongside the roads there are many signs nearly everywhere we
look. Billboards vie to attract our attention, highway signs alert us
to all sorts of things having to do with safe travel and then there
are signs telling us our relative location from various places on the
road we are traveling if we keep going far enough in that direction.
This is just common knowledge for most
people. But what might it have to do with gaining a better
understanding of the book of Revelation? First let me ask another
question that maybe we need to ponder seriously, one about how we
think and reason.
When I am getting close to a town it is
not unusual to see a sign alongside the road that states the name of
the town and usually how many people are presumed to be living in it.
We are familiar with this kind of sign and give it little thought
unless we happen to have a hobby of keeping track of population
figures. But what would you think if someone should suddenly pull off
the side of the road and rush up to the sign, announcing to everyone
else that they have now arrived. They have taken a journey to visit
someone in that town and now the journey is complete, never mind that
they are standing outside town, possibly in pouring rain or freezing
snow alongside a cold metal signpost. They have achieved their goal
and there is nothing left to do but maybe take pictures of themselves
alongside the sign and post them online for their friends to see how
they have achieved their goal.
Needless to say, if a person should do
this and imagine that the sign is actually the city itself, we might
begin to wonder if they might be in need of some counseling or
medication. It is obvious to most of us that a sign is not the
equivalent of a city, yet the same truth that seems so obvious to us
in this scenario somehow eludes our thoughtful consideration when it
comes to spiritual perspectives. We can confuse signs with the
reality they are designed to convey. This causes a great deal of
confusion, particularly when coming to discern what God is trying to
convey to us in the book of Revelation.
Last time we discussed important keys
that we must be sure to pick up and keep with us whenever we come to
prayerfully examine Revelation if we wish to benefit from the
promised blessings for those who read and listen to it. We discussed
the first key which is to check and test everything we think we see
in this book with the mission and message of Jesus who came to reveal
the real truth about God. We learned that anything that does not
align with the teachings and disposition of Jesus the Son of God
should come under serious scrutiny or simply be discarded from our
thinking and beliefs, no matter how long we have believed it or how
many others insist it is true. Jesus is the truth, the light of the
world and the only explicit revelation of God the Father, and this is
core to keep in mind as the preeminent filter through which
everything else must pass in order to be vieewed as reliable truth.
Now we want to consider what I believe
is a highly important second key God provides for all who want to
benefit from exposure to this book. It has to do with signs or
symbols which is a very common way for God to communicate with us in
order to convert realities beyond our capacity to even begin to
process, into forms that can alert us to what God wants us to know.
This second key is also found in the very first verse of Revelation
along with the first key, but it is not nearly so obvious and can
easily be overlooked depending on what translation you might be
reading.
Here is how the New King James version
reads.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ,
which God gave Him to show His servants--things which must shortly
take place. And He sent and signified
it by His angel to His servant John. (Revelation 1:1
NKJV)
Do you see it here? There is a word
here that arguably could be translated various ways that may have
nothing to do with signs or symbols. Yet few people would insist that
everything we read in the book of Revelation must be taken literally.
That would be nearly impossible and very implausible. Yet when it
comes to figuring out what should be read as literal and what is
symbolic, there is no end of debate among scholars and many others as
to whose views are right and what belongs where. As a result there is
such a diverse array of opinions about what this book means that it
has largely been written off by many because there seems to be little
consensus about why it was written originally. This is why I feel
this second key is so important to hold close and use often, for it
has the potential to unlock many mysteries that have baffled some of
the smartest people for centuries. Additionally, I believe God never
intended that this book be only useful for the most highly educated
and that everyone else should be obliged to accept their opinions
about what it means. I believe God meant for this book to be just
what it says it is – a revelation of Jesus Christ. But this
revelation is designed to be understood through a wide diversity of
symbols that nearly everyone can appreciate if they are willing to
humbly listen to the Spirit who can bring insights that others often
miss in their rigid insistence on maintaining traditions and dogma.
When I prayerfully came to examine this
book a few years ago to see what God might bring to light, and as I
pondered it through a new perception of truth filtered by the
testimony of Jesus as the only reliable view of God, I realized that
this word itself contained an interesting paradigm if broken into
pieces – sign-i-fied – converted into signs. It might be easy to
insist I am making this all up, but there is evidence from Jesus
Himself that this may be what God intends for us in this book.
He spoke to them many
things in parables, saying, "Behold, a farmer went
out to sow." (Matthew 13:3)
Parables are a form of signs. We know
that some of the stories Jesus used were not necessarily to be taken
literally, and all of them were intended to connect spiritual reality
with physical experiences in order to anchor them in our memory. Yet
the question remains, Why symbols? And why do so many insist that
Revelation is a mix of symbols and literal descriptions of things or
events? If this is so, who gets to decide? Is Revelation reserved
only for experts? Theologians? Do we have to trust others more
educated than us to interpret all this? If so, why didn't God tell us
who is supposed to do this for us?
Is God trying to hide something from us
by converting things into signs or symbols? That would seem to fly in
the face of the very title of this book. That would make no sense at
all. Is God trying to be evasive, or is that another presumption
buried in our heart that needs to be exposed? What do we need in
order to unlock these symbols, for clearly our views of God affect
how we interpret symbols, for our beliefs about God affect how we
view and read everything.
God is not into deception – ever. Yet
like the parables of Jesus, some things are designed to be
communicated in such a way that only those with open hearts can
really begin to grasp the hidden meaning in His stories. This extends
to prophecies too, though more obvious there. In this prophetic book
filled with symbols, what we need most is a heart hungry to know God
better and willingness to be transformed by the love found in the
light of Jesus enabling one to see their true meaning.
He who has ears to hear, let him
hear." The disciples came, and said to him, "Why
do you speak to them in parables?" He answered them, "To
you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom
of Heaven, but it is not given to them. For
whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance, but
whoever doesn't have, from him will be taken away even that which he
has.
Therefore I speak to them in
parables, because seeing they don't see, and hearing, they
don't hear, neither do they understand.
In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, 'By hearing
you will hear, and will in no way understand;
Seeing you will see, and will in no way perceive:
for this people's heart has grown callous, their
ears are dull of hearing, they have closed
their eyes; or else perhaps they might perceive with their
eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and should
turn again; and I would heal them.'
"But blessed are your
eyes, for they see; and your ears,
for they hear. For most certainly I tell you that many
prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which
you see, and didn't see them; and to hear the
things which you hear, and didn't hear them. (Matthew 13:9-17)
Jesus spoke all these
things in parables to the multitudes; and without
a parable, he didn't speak to them, that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, "I will
open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden
from the foundation of the world." (Matthew 13:34-35)
I have also spoken to the prophets,
and I have multiplied visions; and by the ministry of the
prophets I have used parables. (Hosea 12:10)
Signs can be like a two-edged sword
(which itself is another example of a sign), for they can easily cut
different directions. Throughout history people have related to signs
as something they demand as a prerequisite for believing someone to
be reliable or of God. Yet signs often do not accomplish what we
imagine they will do in us, partly because we don't understand
ourselves and how twisted our thinking is when it comes to faith.
There is a place for signs and wonders, but it is not a secure
foundation for healthy relationships of trust or even conversion.
I will harden Pharaoh's
heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders
in the land of Egypt.
(Exodus 7:3)
Yahweh said to Moses, How long will
this people despise me? and how long will they not believe
in me, for all the signs which I have worked
among them? (Numbers 14:11)
Hear the word which Yahweh speaks to
you, house of Israel! Thus says Yahweh, "Don't learn
the way of the nations, and don't be dismayed at
the signs of the sky; for the nations are
dismayed at them. (Jeremiah 10:1-2)
For there will arise false
christs, and false prophets, and they
will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead
astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. (Matthew
24:24)
In all of these instances and in many
more, we can see the inability of signs and wonders to convert the
heart. The reason that false christs and prophets are able to deceive
so many is because of how many want to base their faith on miraculous
experiences that titillate the imagination rather than giving heed to
uncomfortable convictions of the quiet voice of the Spirit of Jesus.
Jesus therefore said to him, "Unless
you see signs and wonders, you will in no way believe."
(John 4:48)
And I saw one of his heads as it
were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all
the world wondered after the beast. And they
worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and
they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like
unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? (Revelation
13:3-4 KJV)
He performs great signs,
even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight
of people. He deceives my own people who dwell
on the earth because of the signs he was granted
to do in front of the beast; saying to those who dwell on the earth,
that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound
and lived. It was given to him to give breath to it, to the image of
the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause
as many as wouldn't worship the image of the beast to be killed.
(Revelation 13:13-15)
We see clearly here that signs are also
used on the enemy's side of this war. We need to be extremely
cautious about our vulnerability to being deceived by signs and
understand how to relate to them.
One of the most serious warnings for us
is the example of Pharaoh whose heart became so hardened by the
compassion and mercy of God that he was able to take insane risks
that cost not only the life of his son and the ruin of a world
super-power, but in the end it destroyed the lives of his entire army
along with his own. The key truth usually missed in this story is
that it was not the devastating plagues that decimated his country
and people that hardened his heart against God, it was his repeated
resistance to the kindness of God that ultimately led to his
spectacular defeat.
Likewise we face the same danger. By
clinging to our carnal cravings for supernatural manifestations to
supercharge our supposed faith in God, we can ignore or even despise
the many kindnesses God given us in spite of our blatant violations
of principles of life. We do this often because we are so resistant
to God's true methods, clinging to lies that He relates as we do,
through manipulation in threats of punishment and enticements of
reward just like His enemies. Thus we become highly susceptible to
the seductive doctrines of demons because they align so well with how
we imagine God must operate. But in Revelation we discover that the
truth as exposed by the Lamb is very different than how we have been
taught by religion or society.
Or do you despise the
riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not
knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But
according to your hardness and unrepentant heart
you are treasuring up for [in] yourself wrath in
the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of God;
who "will pay back to everyone according to their works:"
(Romans 2:4-6)
Signs can involve visible
demonstrations in the environment around us, or they can be in
prophecies designed to convey deeper truths or future events God
wants us to know. The physical world in which we operate is closely
aligned with the far more real spiritual world beyond what can be
seen or proven scientifically. It is likely that what is seen in our
'natural' realm may be highly reflective of what is going on in the
spiritual realm of which each one of us are participants. This was
God's design from the very beginning of the creation of this world.
God said, "Let there be lights
in the expanse of sky to divide the
day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for
seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for
lights in the expanse of sky to give light on the earth;" and it
was so. (Genesis 1:14-15)
Note the sequence here. God says that
the heavenly lights for our planet are designed for use as signs and
seasons, for marking off days and years. Lastly they are to provide
physical light for our world. While significant, this has been
perverted by the enemy to lead many to give inappropriate attention
to these designated messengers for God. This is true for nearly
everything God has designed because the enemy has crafted his entire
evil empire on counterfeits of God's original design.
But notice what is mentioned first by
God as purpose for these lights. They were given to divide the
day from the night. While this obviously applies to how we define the
daily passing of time, we must be cognizant that the creation of this
world as described in Genesis 1 and 2 was not the beginning of the
universe. Our creation took place in the middle of an ongoing war in
heaven that began long before and had possibly come to a stalemate.
From this perspective, a careful reading of the creation story was
God's surprising response to an apparent impasse in what intelligent
beings were challenged over what to believe about God's power. The
creation account is itself is full of signs revealing vital truths
about what had already transpired and questions that had stymied
progress to resolve the crisis.
God carefully and intentionally
designed everything about our world as a venue in which He could
expose fresh revelations to the watching universe that would address
the stalemate and move the war between good and evil toward a final
conclusion. We don't have time to unpack all of those signs and
implications, but it is important to be aware that the creation of
this world itself is full of signs and symbols with double meanings,
partly to fill physical purposes but more importantly to reveal
greater revelations of truth about God's mysteries and to answer
questions that seemed impossible to resolve.
and then the sign of the
Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of
the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the
clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
(Matthew 24:30)
There will be great earthquakes,
famines, and plagues in various places. There will be terrors
and great signs from heaven. (Luke 21:11)
There will be signs in the
sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth anxiety
of nations, in perplexity for the
roaring of the sea and the waves; (Luke 21:25)
The true purpose of signs is to alert
us to spiritual realities we easily overlook or are resistant to
believing. Signs can highlight aspects of truth through the nature of
the symbols used, like metaphors, illustrations and even through
stories. It can be a mistake to put too much emphasis on signs as
being literal, yet this is a common mistake made by many when coming
to a study of Revelation. I find that if we take this second key very
seriously and allow this book to speak to us first of all through
signs primarily, seeking to discern their true meaning with the
Spirit's guidance about what the deeper implications are behind the
symbols, we make ourselves more available to receive many surprising
revelations that others may be prevented from noticing, simply
because we faithfully trust the keys offered to us at the very outset
of this important document.
Now the natural man
doesn't receive the things of God's Spirit, for they are
foolishness to him, and he can't know them, because they
are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)
Signs are designed to bridge the line
between the physical world we are most familiar with and the
spiritual world where often we have little awareness. God takes
spiritual realities or events and converts them into a symbolic
language we can relate to when we are guided by the Spirit of truth.
Those who are humble and seek to know God will be led by the Spirit
of God to discover truths that set free. They can be taught by God to
pay attention to the messages of guidance and warning given in signs
that God provides to alert His children of what is about to happen.
This is why the two keys given in the first verse are linked to what
is about to happen. God urgently wants us to be prepared for massive
changes that are imminent. He wants us to know the issues that are at
stake and the difference between truth and counterfeits so we may
make intelligent choices as to whom we will serve and worship.
Surely the Lord Yahweh
will do nothing, unless he reveals his secret to his servants the
prophets. (Amos 3:7)
But in the days of the voice of the
seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery
of God is finished, as he declared to his servants, the prophets.
(Revelation 10:7)
Because God has arranged to convey to
us vital truths and alerts through use of signs, it only follows that
Satan likewise will employ signs and wonders to mislead or distract
people to believe his spin on what is reality and who to trust. This
is part of how the war is fought, for this is not a war between
similar weapons of destruction and who has more force to overwhelm
the other; we are in a war over whose methods and motives we will
trust and practice in our own lives. This is part of worship, for
worship involves honoring what others teach and embracing their
version of reality, relying on their version of truth as the material
we use to build our characters that in turn reflects their character.
Then the lawless one will be
revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth, and
destroy by the manifestation of his coming; even he whose coming is
according to the working of Satan with all power and signs
and lying wonders, and with all deception of
wickedness for those who are being lost, because they
didn't receive the love of the truth, that they might be
saved.
(2 Thessalonians 2:8-10)
In summary, as we come to a study of
this most amazing book filled with stirring scenes of greatest import
to each one of our lives, if we rely on the two keys given us at the
door we will find they work amazingly well to unlock all sorts of
enigmas and mysteries throughout this book that have long baffled and
confused so many. Let's pick up the keys and not forget to use them,
trusting Jesus to assist our perceptions through the presence of His
Spirit who inspired this very book originally.
The Revelation of Jesus
Christ, which God gave Him to show
His servants--things which must shortly take place.
And He sent
and signified it by His angel to His
servant John. (Revelation 1:1 NKJV)
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