Revelation, Persecution and the Churches’ Priorities

Rodrigo Borgia was created a cardinal when aged 25 by his uncle, Pope Calixtus. He was very able but also very worldly. Pope Pius II, in 1460, felt obliged to write a severe reprimand to this young Cardinal and another ageing Cardinal for their behaviour at a Christening party:

“We have heard that the dance was indulged in, in all wantonness; none of the allurements of love was lacking, and you conducted yourself in a wholly worldly manner. Shame forbids mention of what took place, for not only the things themselves but their very names are unworthy of your rank. In order that your lust might be unrestrained, the husbands, fathers, brothers, kinsmen of the young girls were not invited; you and a few servants were the leaders and inspirers of this orgy. It is said that nothing is now talked of in Siena but your vanity, which is the subject of universal ridicule.”

This party was not an isolated event, Rodrigo, who later became Pope Alexander VI, did not seem to bother about his reputation,

“ . . . to court young women, to give to those whom you love presents of fruit and wine, and to give no thought to anything but sensual pleasure.”

The only change was that he became slightly more discreet, the mothers of his first three children being unknown. although subsequently he had four children with one mistress, Vanozza dei Catanei. Later, after becoming pope in 1492, he had one, or possibly two, more children.1

Such worldliness in the church is nothing new. It happened in the early church and it still happens today, but this is certainly not how Christians have been called to live. We are Christ’s representatives and, whatever the cost, we are called to live holy lives and to keep proclaiming the Lord Jesus to others.

In the book of Revelation, John repeatedly describes the problems Christ’s church will face from Satanic forces before Christ returns, yet he wrote to encourage Christians to continue testifying - come what may. Testifying and giving testimony is a repeated theme throughout the book. The book starts with John relating the message God revealed to him through an angel. And then it is John himself,

“ . . . who testifies to everything he saw – that is the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. . . blessed are those, because the time is near” Revelation 1:2-3

Who is the model for us all in this life of testifying?

“Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness . . .” Revelation 1:5

Christ has saved us for a purpose,

“ . . . and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father.” Revelation 1:6

John himself had paid a great price for his allegiance to serving Christ,

“I, John . . . was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” Revelation 1:9

Patmos was a Roman penal settlement. He had been committed to this place because he taught people the word of God and spoke openly about Jesus when he led the church in Ephesus.

Jesus always testified about the coming world in a symbolic way, with the inference that testimony must be a major activity of his people.

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’” Revelation 22:20

The Sealed Scroll

In the fifth chapter we are told about a scroll in the right hand of God which was sealed with seven seals. It transpires that this scroll describes what God and his representatives are going to do in judgment at the end of time. The scroll remained sealed until someone fit to unwrap the seals came forwards. Then a hero is introduced,

‘. . . a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the centre of the throne’. Revelation 5:6

This is none other than Jesus, ‘the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David’ (5:5) who takes his place in the centre of God’s throne – he is God himself. A new song is sung,

“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10

As the seals are opened earth faced a progression of disasters. When the fifth seal is opened we see,

“The souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge their blood. Then each of them was given a white robe and told to wait a little longer.” Revelation 6:10-11

The tragedies going on in the world will continue and many will die but only a few will turn back to God.

“The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshipping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood, idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.” Revelation 9:20-21

It is striking that these godless people nonetheless continue to outwardly worship. Even atheists worship but the object of their worship, whether fame, money, status or ease, is a very poor temporary substitute for the one true God. In contrast true worshippers insist on the authority of God’s Word and the need to openly confess our allegiance ro Christ.

The Little Scroll

Chapters 10 and 11 have a different tone. This section starts,

“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.” Revelation 10:1-2

This messenger is mighty and has the characteristics of God himself. ‘Robed in a cloud’ would remind readers that God in the Old Testament repeatedly appears in a cloud, just as he descended on Mount Sinai to talk with Moses in a thick cloud. The rainbow above his head surely refers to Ezekiel’s vision of God, when he appeared to him as a man,

“ . . and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and 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 God.” Ezekiel 1:26-28

Three times John’s angelic messenger ‘plants his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land’ (Revelation 10:2,5,8), surely indicating that God’s rule is universal. The messenger ‘shouted like the roar of a lion’ This concept is taken from the prophet Amos:

“The lion has roared – who will not fear? The Sovereign LORD has spoken – who can but prophesy?” Amos 3:8

When anyone really grasps who God is and his love for us, we will all naturally want to share what we have discovered. Have you ever talked with someone who is in love and gets engaged. They nearly all want to talk about their love. To prophesy means to proclaim God’s message to others and that is also the message of Revelation. In these last days, before the final cataclysm of God’s judgment that will be unleashed, there is something that John, as the church’s representative, has to do:

“Go take the scroll . . . and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey. . . I took the scroll . . . Then I was told, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” Revelation 10:9-11

This idea is taken from the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament, but both share the same theme – keep proclaiming God’s message even if it is costly.

“Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. . . Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen.” Ezekiel 3:3-7

To illustrate the cost as well as the joy of fulfilling the Lord’s wishes, Ezekiel is told,

“Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the house of Israel. . . So I ate it and it tasted sweet as honey in my mouth.” Ezekiel 3:1

This experience was similar to that of Jeremiah,

“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty.” Jeremiah 15:16

There is always so much joy when we are committed to listening to God and doing what he wants. John had the same experience when he ingested God’s word even though the effect on him would later be unpleasant:

“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.” Revelation 10:10-11

There is both a great joy and satisfaction in living as God wants, even though there will be a short-term price to pay.

The Two Witnesses

In Revelation 11 the prophetic ministry of God’s church is now described in a parable about two people, resembling two Old Testament prophets, who proclaimed God’s word in spite of repeated opposition, Moses and Elijah. These two are described as olive trees and lamp stands, terms used to describe God’s people, they symbolise the corporate prophetic witness of the church.

“These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands that stand before the Lord of the earth.” Revelation 11:4

The Old Testament prophet Zechariah used the picture of the olive trees and the lamp stands when he measured the temple:

“Then I asked the angel, ‘What are these two olive trees on the right and on the left of the lamp stand?’ . . . These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.” Zechariah 4:11,14

Zechariah looked again and there before him was a ‘flying scroll’. He was told,

“This is the curse that is going out over the whole land.” Zechariah 5:1-3

These scrolls, whether in Jeremiah, Zechariah or in Revelation, portray God’s judgment against all who reject him and his ways. But the warning about God’s coming judgment is always followed with a description of the road to salvation that the Lord has promised to bring about:

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as my people.’” Zechariah 8:7-8

This is the same gospel John describes in Revelation. God will bring his people to his new eternal Jerusalem.

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God . . . And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’”

The two witnesses, who symbolise the church, will be able to witness for a limited time with power and impunity. During this ‘time they are prophesying’ (Rev 11:6),

“If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies.” Revelation 11:5

This picks up on a promise that God gave to Jeremiah when he faced opposition,

“Because the people have spoken these words, I will make my words in your mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes.” Jeremiah 5:14

But these two, God’s symbolic witnesses, ‘when they have finished their testimony’ (Rev 11:7), will be attacked by ‘the beast’, a demonic character, who will kill them. There is a bitter taste but death will not be the end. Although their bodies will be publicly ridiculed in the Satanic world for a while, they will ‘receive the breath of life’ from God. They will stand on their feet, be called by God to join him in heaven and will then ascend to heaven, in a cloud, to live with their Lord.

To have been adopted in the eternal God’s family is the greatest privilege anyone can know. To live for the honour of our heavenly Father will surely receive its reward. The author J.I. Packer has expressed this privilege beautifully,

“Adoption . . . is the highest privilege that the gospel offers: higher even than justification . . . In adoption God takes us into his family and fellowship – he establishes us as his children and heirs. Closeness, affection and generosity are at the heart of the relationship. To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is a greater.” 2

The final result will be an eternal triumph for God. We, his people, who have persisted in living for him and proclaiming his gospel to the world will share in this,

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 11:15

There will be a final judgment for all people, which is why we must all be ambitious to be both proclaiming the gospel and to live as God’s holy people.

“The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both great and small.” Revelation 11:18

Summary

The whole of the book of Revelation is an appeal to Christians to remain faithful to Christ in their doctrine, behaviour and proclamation. Serious failure in any of these three areas can result in the removal of God’s blessing. But for those who remain faithful, who have laboured for Christ, even though there will be opposition now, everything will work out well in the end, in eternity:

“Then I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘ Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘They will rest from their labour, for their deeds will follow them.’” Revelation 14:13

Later in Revelation the same story about opposition is described graphically,

“I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.” Revelation 17:6

In the glory of the new Jerusalem there will be a countless number of people dressed in white. They are robed in this way to represent the righteousness they have been given through their faith in Jesus, God’s Christ:

“These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.” Revelation 7:14

An angel then told John to write down what he next said,

“‘Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the lamb!’ and he added, ‘These are the true words of God.’” Revelation 19:9

John is so overwhelmed by the awesome responsibility God has given him, he bows down to worship God’s representative but he is reprimanded,

“Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10

There is a beautiful summary of the way Christians will live, up until the time when we join our Lord in heaven. We must keep a close relationship with Jesus, who died in our place to take our sin on himself, we must keep testifying about him , and not succumb to the many temptations that Satan throws at us.

“They overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Revelation 12:11

Sometimes you will hear people attribute to St. Francis of Assisi the words,

“Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.”

This suggests that those who “practice the Gospel” are more faithful Christians than those who preach it. However Francis never said this, none of his disciples heard him say this and it is not in any of his writings. He rightly insisted that a Christian’s deeds must match their words but he was an ardent testifier. Francis was a passionate preacher, much like John Wesley, being known to have preached in up to five villages a day.3

The gospel is a message about Jesus Christ, who he is , what he taught and why he died and therefore words must be used. Paul recognised the need for the gospel to be proclaimed,

“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14

To live as God wants will not be easy, the enemy will hate it when Christians live Godly lives and share the gospel with others. In this final quote, the woman represents Christ’s church:

“Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went out to make war against the rest of her offspring – those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” Revelation 12:17

Obedience to God’s Word and sharing the gospel with those around us are the two key features of a Christian’s life and all of us should be assessing ourselves about how well we are complying with our Lord’s commands.

BVP

References

1. Marion Johnson, ‘The Borgias’ Book Club Associates 1981 p. 64-65

2. J.I.Packer, ‘Knowing God’, Hodder and Stoughton, 1973 p. 206-207

3. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/factchecker-misquoting-francis-of-assisi/