Light-work

Book of Revelation Dominoes

Here is the stated purpose of the Book of Revelation from the first verse: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place (Rev. 1:1). It is obvious that Jesus made this book available to His people for the purpose of generating understanding, not confusion. Alas, there are a lot of people who are confused by the book. So here is my attempt to simplify and clarify. In the interest of simplicity, I have not gone into all the background for each element in this chart - but you can click here if you want to listen to the 60 sermons that provide the explanation for this framework.

The chart above (click on the chart to view a larger version) shows three series of seven (identified as seals, trumpets, and bowls, respectively). Think of these as a series of twenty-one dominoes which fall sequentially. When domino seven falls, it causes the next series of seven to occur. When domino fourteen falls, it puts in motion the last series of seven. These dominoes represent mostly natural disasters, political developments, and supernatural events. The severity of these events is intensified with each new series. The last series of seven represents "full strength wrath."

I am suggesting that the timing of these events is represented by a sort of logarithmic scale. The earlier events (dominoes on the left) describe events that may or may not overlap but which, in some cases, span a period of months. However, the last series (the dominoes on the right) represent a quick succession of events. Taken together, the twenty-one dominoes fall with accelerating momentum that builds to a crescendo of final judgment.

In chapters 10-14, we learn about three developments which will be synchronized to the fall of the fourteenth domino. The amazing prophetic ministry of two Jewish witnesses, the supernatural protection of Israel, and Satan's war against the saints will all culminate in the last series of seven that is set in motion by domino fourteen. This last series will involve the outpouring of "full strength wrath" on those who dwell on the earth. It will also culminate in the judgment of the economic and religious center that is Babylon, as described in chapters 17-18. The fall of domino twenty-one will be synchronized with the victory of the Lamb over all opposition and the revelation of His bride.

The bars for the three periods that end at the fourteenth domino have an indefinite starting point. These periods are all 42 months in duration, but we cannot pinpoint which domino falls 42 months before the fourteenth. The bar for the judgment of Babylon also lacks a precise starting point, but there is no doubt about its end point which is synchronized to the fall of the last two dominoes.

Seems pretty simple, right? Are you tracking with me? So where would the rapture described in 1 Thess. 4:13-18 fit?

Babylon's World of Extremes

JD asks a great question from the sermon series on Revelation: In the last couple weeks we have touched on Babylon and the type of city it will be; my questions are: Is Babylon spared or sheltered in some way from the devastation of the judgments poured out? If not, how is such wealth and opulence available and usable so soon after the global devastation of the judgments? We spent a number of weeks going thru the tough times ahead spiritually and how it will become economically oppressive and devastating worldwide and exponentially so for believers - how does what we are now hearing about Babylon and it's wealth and comfort correlate with what we have previously gone through? World wide famine, economic collapse, enormous loss of human life, natural disasters on a scale unseen previously - and then a city where pleasure rules and stuff is God- where does it all come from in the wake of such devastation and catastrophic losses?

Essentially, she is asking how a city experiencing plenty can exist in a world of devastating want. First, let me affirm what she is saying about the hard times ahead. The second vision in the book of Revelation (Chapters 4-16) outlines an event sequence that consists of three series of seven. Think of them as a line of 21 dominoes representing global natural disasters and political shifts. With the fall of domino seven and domino fourteen, the dominoes that follow take it up a notch from the previous group of seven. JD is exactly right that these will be the worst of times for those who dwell on the earth.

So, how can it be the best of times for Babylon? We are provided with a hint in Rev. 6:6: And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine” (Rev. 6:6). This verse is connected to the third domino. It describes runaway inflation. A denarius (see above for a sample coined in 2nd C. BC) in John's day represented about 3 grams of silver and was the equivalent of a laborer's daily wage. It would buy about 10 quarts of wheat. So John is describing an economic climate in which the value of money has been reduced by a power of 10. Stated in another way, the cost of basic commodities has increased by a factor of 10. No matter how you slice it, this is a description of not much bread for your dough.

But then there is the last phrase, "do not damage the oil and the wine." This suggests a glaring disparity. Those dwelling in the land of subsistence will be in a world of hurt. But those sitting in the lap of luxury will be unfazed - the economic crisis associated with the 3rd domino will not inhibit those who are enjoying the good life. Babylon is not named here but could easily be such a place of living the good life unhindered.

Certainly by the time we conclude the last set of dominoes, whatever protections Babylon has erected will come to naught. But until then, Babylon will hold onto enough of her greatness and grandeur to effectively convince herself that she is beyond the reach of the misfortune that befalls the "little people." Such a grand delusion!

 

The Babylon Code, Pt. 2 of 2

In a previous post, I indicated my preference for an interpretation that connects Revelation 17-18 to Babylon on the Euphrates. I closed with two questions. The first concerns the "imminence" of the Lord's return. If the events of the tribulation will occur at a time when ancient Babylon has returned to become a thriving religious and economic center (which it is anything but today), wouldn't this suggest that the return of the Lord lies far in the future? I also asked, "Does the urgent appeal for saints to 'come out of her [Babylon]' (Rev. 18:4) have any relevance to saints living today since this Babylon does not yet exist?"

To answer the first question, I would point to Dubai as an illustration. (The luxurious Burj Al Arab hotel is pictured above.) This city has a lot in common with future Babylon, and the pace of its emergence as a mecca of opulence has been brisk. Babylon will apex at the end of the seven year long tribulation. A petro-dollar fueled orgy of construction begun a few years (or decades) before the start of the tribulation could repeat the "miracle" that is Dubai. So while I can say we are not there yet, we may only be not QUITE there yet.

As to the second question, understanding the Babylon Code is critical. Based on Revelation 17-18, we can identify five statements which capture Babylon's creed. These declare how future Babylon thinks:

• “I live for me.”
• “You cannot argue with my success.”
• “Get in my way and you will regret it.”
• “There is no ‘right and wrong,’ only what makes me feel better.”
• “No one can stop me from doing what I want.”

Do these not have a familiar ring to them? Do they not sound like the mantra's of western materialism? So I am inclined to suggest that while the city of Babylon is not yet built, the Code of Modern Babylon is very much in evidence. In which case the urgent appeal for God's people to make a clean break makes perfect sense. We live in a day and age when the spirit of Babylon is alive and well even though the city has not yet made her grand entrance. Saints who prevail when she does will have learned how to defy her philosophy even while living in Pre-Babylonian times.

Prevailing saints disagree with the five tenets of the Babylon Code, and they are capable of expressing that disagreement even when it is unpopular to do so. Learn how to recognize it today, how to make a clean break from it, and you will ready when construction gets underway in earnest.

The Babylon Code, Pt. 1 of 2

The Book of Revelation is quite graphic in its description of the Fall of Babylon. This city boasts a long history and notorious reputation. Originally founded by Nimrod (Gen. 10:8,10), it soon became the focal point of men's celebration of their own accomplishments. Bad idea! God intervened and the city was branded with a fitting designation: Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth (Gen. 11:9).

Despite this setback, Babel refused to go away nor mend its ways. Notably, Babylon (same city) was the destroyer of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BC. In her historic heyday, power, wealth, commerce, and wisdom were hers. The OT prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah would describe her as idolatrous, wicked, arrogant, self-confident, covetous, cruel, and domineering. Babylon is less than a shadow of her former self today, so it is curious that she is presented once more in Revelation 17-18 as the global focal point of man centered religion.

Bible students differ in their identification of "Babylon" in Revelation. It would seem straightforward to identify it with a rebuilt city on the Euphrates river (see image above). The vast gap between the current state of affairs (quite humble) and the future state of Babylon (grand and impressive) suggests the merit of finding another interpretive option. So some have proposed that "Babylon" is a code word for some other physical city (Rome or Jerusalem are often suggested), an institution or entity (the "apostate church" or papacy are often proposed), or a "Babylonian ideology" that gains a global hold on men's thinking.

We need to remember that this is a problem of biblical interpretation. If the text is clearly discussing a rebuilt city of Babylon on the Euphrates in Iraq, then we must choose to believe what Scripture says will happen MORE than we believe our own perceptions of what could be. Yes, I have difficulty imagining a world class city like the one described in Revelation 17-18 coming into such wealth and prominence out of the current political, military, and economic milieu. But I must not allow the limits of my imagination to dismiss out of hand what the text might clearly be saying. Bottom line: I am open to all the options.

All views which propose that "Babylon" is a code word or symbol face a serious difficulty. They lack a decoder. There are 29 phrases or terms used in Revelation that are clearly symbolic. And all 29 of them are identified as symbols by the use of a key term or phrase which connects the symbol to what it represents. The first of these code-breaker phrases in the Book of Revelation appear in 1:20: “As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches (Rev. 1:20). (I have highlighted the code-breakers in blue.) No such code-breakers are used with the term "Babylon" to indicate it represents something else. In fact, the exact opposite occurs. A woman sitting on a scarlet beast is clearly identified as code or a symbol of the great city of Babylon (Rev. 17:3-5). Babylon is not the symbol but the reality behind the symbol (which is a harlot in scarlet and purple).

The view that this is the actual city of Babylon on the Euphrates at the apex of a future "greatness" is the conclusion of a plain sense reading of the text. In Rev. 2-3, John clearly intends the mention of a city name to be taken literally. In the one place in the prophecy where he employs a code name for an actual city, he provides a clear code-breaker: And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified (Rev. 11:8).

Several descriptive details add to the impression that the actual city of Babylon is targeted in Rev. 17-18: The fact that the Euphrates River is specifically named in 9:14 and 16:12 marks out a geographical area connected to Babylon as a key focus of coming judgment. The suggestion that Babylon has access to the sea is a detail that fits with Babylon on the Euphrates which is navigable to the Persian Gulf. The descriptive phrase "which sits on many waters," itself a code phrase for the city's global dominance (17:15), recalls Jeremiah's use of this language to describe Babylon (Jer. 51:13), a city of canals, waterways, and marshes. The position of the city "in the wilderness" (Rev. 17:3) is a detail that would also fit Babylon on the Euphrates, although it is not clear if this phrase indicates the city's location prior to or after her judgment.

I find the view that this is the actual city of Babylon on the Euphrates to be more persuasive. Of course, this raises some other questions: Does this mean that the events described in Revelation are "a long ways off" since it would take years for such a city to become a reality? And, does the urgent appeal for saints to "come out of her [Babylon]" (Rev. 18:4) have no relevance to saints living today since this Babylon does not yet exist?

Good questions! What do you think?