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Grace & Peace: Revelation 91

Douglas Wilson on March 22, 2018

“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11).

“And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image” (Rev. 16:1–2).

No one could go into the heavenly Temple until after all seven bowls were poured out (Rev. 15:8), and so that must mean that the great voice coming out of the Temple here is the voice of God Himself. The fact that He gives all seven angels their marching orders all at once would seem to indicate that these bowls of judgment are poured out in quick order, in rapid succession.

The effects of these seven emptied bowls run parallel to the effects of the seven trumpets blown earlier. But while the seven trumpets tended to partial destructions measured in thirds, the impact of the bowls is more complete and total. We have arrived at the crescendo, and Jerusalem is about to be no more.

In addition, we see that there are similarities with the plagues that had destroyed Egypt at the time of the Exodus (Ex. 9:8-12), and the meaning of this appears to be that the old Jerusalem has become her ancient adversary Egypt, and that the hated Christians were about to be delivered through a new Exodus, and were to take their place as the new Israel.

Those Jews who had the mark of the beast—who had cried that they had no king but Caesar—were afflicted with grievous sores. They prided themselves on being free from idolatry, but they were in fact in bondage to idolatry. These sores appeared on those who “worshiped his image.” This particular plague in response to covenantal infidelity had been promised to Israel centuries before, and in a way that linked them with Egypt.

“The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed . . . The Lord shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head” (Deut. 28:27, 35).

Deuteronomy says that they are sores that cannot be healed, and that would appear to be the case here. The sores appear at the first bowl of wrath, but those afflicted with them are still suffering from them when the fifth bowl is poured out (v. 11).

Bible Challenge #29

Becky Pliego on March 16, 2018

¡Hola, hola! Welcome to week 28, Friends! Do you realize that we are almost exactly 2 months away from finishing this challenge? Crazy, right? God has been so incredibly kind to us in drawing closer to us as we have been learning to draw closer to Him. Now, I must say I wish I could hear all the things that each one of you have been gleaning from this challenge. I am sure each story is wonderful!

This week I came across this article by John Piper, an article that was adapted from his book A Peculiar Glory (a book I absolutely loved!). And when I read these words in his book I remember thinking that they captured exactly my love and passion for the Scriptures, so I want to share them with you so that you may be encouraged too:

“Whenever I read the Bible, it was never like a masterpiece hanging in a museum that I viewed this way and that. Rather, it was like a window. Or like binoculars. My view of the Bible was always a view through the Bible. So, all along the way, my view was getting clearer and brighter and deeper, I mean the reality seen through it was getting clearer and brighter and deeper. Clearer as the edges of things became less fuzzy, and I could see how things fit together rather than just smudging into each other. Brighter as the beauty and impact of the whole message was more and more attractive. And deeper in the sense of depth perspective—I suppose photographers would say “depth of field.” Things stretched off into eternity with breathtaking implications—in both directions past and future. You could sum this up with the phrase the glory of God. That’s what I was seeing.”

And then he continues saying,

“This is where I stand with hope and joy and love. This is the window of the Word through which the vision of God has exerted its compelling power. I do not merely hold a view of Scripture. I am held. The glory of God shining through his Word has been an irresistible treasure. Nothing in this world comes close to the beauty and the value of God and his ways and his grace.”

This phrase, Friends, “I do not merely hold a view of Scripture. I am held.” shakes my whole being. And the more we spend time in the Word, the more we come to understand this truth. The Word of God is holding our lives, in the most literal sense. Remember what we read in Hebrews? We read that Jesus “upholds the universe by the word of his power.” If the sun is in its place, shining and giving warmth, and the ocean is still obeying his Word and doesn’t spill over the earth, and the snow falls, and then Spring comes, and stars keep shining because of the power of His Word, then certainly our very existence is hanging on its power too. When we come to the Word, we come to the very Words of God. We don’t merely read words, we are sustained, held by each Word of God we read. And when we humbly come before His Word, He opens our eyes to see more of the glorious truths hidden as treasures in His Word. This is our God, a God that wants to be known, a God who has spoken, a God who has given us His Word so that we may be held by it. So if you feel like you need someone to hold you, come to Christ, come to the Word of God, He will hold you in the palm of His hand and sustain you with the power of His Word.

This week we will finish reading Job and Romans. We will meet Job’s last friend, Elihu who seems to get more than one thing right. And the reason we know that Elihu got things right is because God doesn’t rebuke him, and Job doesn’t try to argue against his case. So keep that in mind as you read his speech (six chapters!). At the end of the book, after everyone has had a chance to speak, it is the Word of the Lord that is last and the one that prevails. His Word sustained Job through these trials. His Word was honored. God wins.

Romans ends exalting God too. Jesus our Redeemer (Job’s, Paul’s, and ours) is exalted as the only One “who is able to strengthen us according to the gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ (His Word!).” Then Paul reminds us that now through “the prophetic writings” (His Word!) this gospel has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God to bring obedience of faith – to the only wise God be glory forever more through Jesus Christ! Amen.” Oh! How the Word holds us!

Saturday we have a catch-up day, and I suggest that if you are current in your readings, you read the first epistle of Paul to Timothy.

May our prayer this week be, “Lord, hold me with your Word, with the gospel of Jesus Christ, every day.”

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky Pliego and the Team of Christ Church Ladies Fellowship

Grace & Peace: Revelation 90

Douglas Wilson on March 15, 2018

“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11).

“And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles. And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.” (Rev. 15:5–8).

The final moments of Jerusalem are upon her. John looked, and the sanctuary was opened, and judgment came out of her. That sanctuary is described in quite an interesting way—the “temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven.” The word for temple may refer to the inner sanctum, the holy of holies, which the tabernacle in the wilderness had, just as Solomon’s temple did. Putting it all together, the angels came out of the holy of holies in the heavenly tabernacle. They came out of the holy of holies, where the testimony was kept—the ark of the covenant, capped with the mercy seat, was called the ark of the testimony (Ex. 25:22). When merciless judgment comes to you from the place of the mercy seat, you know that things are pretty bad.

The angels emerged, bringing the seven plagues with them. They were dressed in pure white linen, and had golden sashes wrapped around their chests. Although they came with the seven plagues, one of the four living creatures gave them seven bowls, filled up with the wrath of God. The wrath belongs to the God who lives forever and ever. The word translated vial in the AV is better rendered as bowl, and appears to match with the earlier bowls filled with incense, that is, the prayers of the saints (Rev. 5:8). Combine this with the prayers that the saints under the altar offered up (Rev. 6:9), and you can see the convergence of answered prayer and the wrath of God. Earlier they had asked, how long? And now that the bowls are handed out to the angels, God’s answer to their question is now.

The glory of God, and the power of God, were manifested in the temple in the form of smoke. This is what had happened at the dedication of the tabernacle in the wilderness (Ex. 40:34-35), and at the dedication of Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 8:10-11). In this instance, with no one able to enter the heavenly temple because of the smoke, it appears to be a symbolic way of saying that intercession for Jerusalem is no longer a possibility. The judgment is going to fall, and fall heavily now.

Bible Challenge #28

Becky Pliego on March 10, 2018

¡Hola, hola! Welcome to week 27 of the Bible Reading Challenge hosted by Christ Church in Moscow, ID. We are so very grateful for the opportunity the Lord has given us to serve you through this challenge and to be reading the Bible with so many women around the world. Aren’t you grateful to live on 2018 and to take advantage of all this technology to grow in Christ and advance His kingdom? God is clearly using all means possible to make His name known throughout all the nations! Alleluia!

I have been thinking about this wonderful principle of having the Word of God abide in us. We see it throughout the Scriptures, but especially in the gospel of John, in the Psalms, Proverbs, and Ezra and Nehemiah. But what does it mean to have the Word abide in us? Does it mean to read it over and over again so that we can check the boxes of our Bible Reading plan? I am sure you know that the answer has to be something bigger than that. It has to do with believing the Word of God. We read it believing that God will use it to change us. We read it believing that it will give us life. We read it believingthat it will make the simple wise. We read it believing that it will comfort our weary souls. We do not simply read it; we believe it. And when we believe it, it bears much fruit in our lives. In John 5 we read the words of Jesus that say exactly this, “and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”

Friend, if you have been reading along but you find unbelief in your heart, know that unless you repent, your heart will continue to be hardened. Cry to God today, repent of your unbelief and ask Him to open your eyes to see Jesus, to give you a new heart that cries, Abba, Father! and to seal you with His Holy Spirit. He will not turn away from your cries. He loves to reveal Himself to those who repent and call on Him. He will always come and meet you and show you the Father. He alone can make His Word take root in you. Come to Christ today!

This week we will start with catch-up day (Yay for catch-up days on Mondays!). If you are current in your readings my suggestion is that you read the epistle of James. In James 5:11 we find the key to understanding the book of Job which we will start reading on Tuesday. I also hope you can watch this week’s webinar (Monday at 10:00 am PST) in which we will be talking more about this.

We will also read Psalms 42 and 56 (wait until you see how well they fit in with the other readings!), Philippians and Romans (ch.1-8). Now why did I choose this order? Why Philippians and why Romans along with Job? Well, we will see in the book of Job that his friends clearly failed to encourage him and to come alongside him, and in the epistle of Paul to the Philippians we will learn from Paul how to walk through suffering with other believers. Another thing that we see in the book of Job is that he is clearly in need of a mediator, someone who would come and declare him righteous. He finds himself in a puzzle, and by the grace of God he believes that His Redeemer lives and will indeed judge his case rightly. And in the epistle to the Romans we will read how we, who are in great need of a Mediator can be made right with God. Job’s Redeemer is our Redeemer too and by grace through faith we too have been declared righteous before God. The Accuser is defeated and in Christ nothing can separate us from the love of God.

As you can already see, this week’s readings will be super encouraging. Persevere in the Word and have a plan to come to it every day!

May our prayer this week be, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Don’t you have the Word of God in front of you to read of His great deeds and steadfast love? Don’t you have His Spirit in you? Hope in God; for I shall again and again and again praise Him, my salvation and my God.” (prayer based on Psalm 42:5)

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky Pliego and the team of Ladies Fellowship from Christ Church.

Grace & Peace: Revelation 89

Douglas Wilson on March 6, 2018

“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11).

“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God. And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest” (Rev. 15:1–4).

Seven angels are introduced here, and we are given sort of a prelude to the next round of judgments. Their approach is said to be another “sign in heaven,” and it was a sign that was “great and marvelous.” These are described as the seven last plagues, meaning that we are now talking about the final and complete destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. They bring with them the fullness of the wrath of God. This is it.

We will see in v. 6 that these angels come out of the heavenly temple, and so it is not surprising that we also see various aspects of temple worship described, which would include the crystal or glass sea. This is not a lake or an ocean out in front of the temple, but is rather the laver that in the Old Testament was made of bronze, in which the priests would wash themselves. The word here is thalassa, which is the same word used in the Septuagint for the bronze laver (1 Kings 7:23). As the laver was used for purification of the worshipers, the fact that the glass here was mingled with fire probably indicates cleansing in Heaven, as opposed to mass destruction on earth. The original laver for the tabernacle was small, in which the priests would wash their hands and feet (Ex. 30:17-21; 40:30-32). Solomon’s version was huge, resting on the backs of bulls. It probably represented the Red Sea, and the great victory that God had won for Israel there. The heavenly version was greater still, and represented a greater victory still.

Those who had gained the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name—meaning the believers who had stood firm in the Neronian persecution—were given the harps of God and they all stood on the sea of glass in order to be able to sing. They were purified at the laver, and then presented their praise.

We are told that these faithful ones sang two songs. The first was the song of Moses, indicating that Jerusalem was identified with the old Egypt that had fallen under judgment. Just as Egypt had been left a smoldering ruin, so also Jerusalem was going to be left the same way. The second song was the song of the Lamb, and we are given the content of that song.

This chapter began with the sign in Heaven being described as “great and marvelous,” and here that phrase is repeated. They sang that the works of the Lord God Almighty were great and marvelous. He is the King of saints, and His ways are just and true. His name shall be glorified, and they sing that no one will fail to fear Him. And why? Because He alone is the Holy One, and all nations will come and worship before Him. They will do so because His judgments, in all their severity, will be made manifest now.

Just as Miriam and the women with her danced on the shores of the Red Sea, so the faithful ones who stood against Nero will sing as they stand on the Crystal Sea. The thing they share in common is the fact that they know that the songs of the saints in Heaven provide the soundtrack for judgments on earth. The ferocity of God’s judgments when they finally fall upon the insolence of rebellious man is not “a problem” to be apologized for. The ferocity of God’s judgments are here celebrated, and we see that they are the basis for all the nations of men coming to their senses and streaming to the Lord of the nations, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why will the nations come and worship? Because the wrath of God has been made manifest.