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Grace & Peace: Revelation 81

Douglas Wilson on

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

“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (Rev. 13:5–10).

So we are continuing to observe John’s description of the beast from the sea, which is generally Rome, and specifically Nero. In this passage we have another clue that helps fix this identity. The emperors were nothing if not blasphemous. The practice of overt emperor worship had taken root during the time of Augustus, and the practice ranged from allowed to mandatory. When they took the throne, they assumed blasphemous names for themselves. Sebastos was one such name, and it meant “one to be worshiped.” Emperors were called dives or Deus—in short, God.

The saints are being warned here that the persecution that will rain down on them will be severe—it is described as making war on them. But they are also encouraged by the fact that the severe persecution will be comparatively short. The beast was on a chain, and God was only going to let him off the chain for a mere 42 months. We are told several times that the beast only had the power he did because it was granted to him. “And there was given unto him . . .” “and power was given unto him.” Despite the blasphemous claims, the power of the beast did not originate with him. He had it from Satan, and Satan was bounded by the will of God.

As it happened, the first Roman persecution of the church began under Nero, and it lasted for 42 months. After the great fire in Rome, when suspicion fell on Nero for starting it, he responded by scapegoating the Christians. That persecution was fierce, and according to Tacitus, it included Christians being treated with pitch, and then set up as torches for a dinner party Nero was hosting. This persecution began in 64 A.D. and ended in 68 A.D. when Nero was forced to commit suicide—forty two months later.

The power to war against the saints was a power that included rule over all “kindreds, tongues, and nations.” The inhabitants of the earth, if their names were not in the Book of Life, would give themselves to him in worship. It is striking that the Book of Life is described as belonging to the Lamb, and the Lamb is described as having been slain from the foundation of the world.

The saints are encouraged with the words Jesus was accustomed to use—if a man has ears to hear, then he should do so. They are also encouraged to endure, knowing that the God of justice sees what their persecutor is doing. There is no need for them to take up the sword in self-defense. The one who leads into captivity will be led into captivity, and the one who kills with the sword will die by the sword—just as Nero was vicious in his cruelty to others, so at the end he was forced to fall on his own sword.

This is the patience and faith of the saints. Hold on, John tells them.

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Grace & Peace: Revelation 80

Douglas Wilson on

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

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 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?” (Rev. 13:1–4).

At the beginning of this next chapter, we have the introduction of the great beast from the sea. This is one area where most commentators agree—a remarkable feat given the nature of this book. This beast is best understood as representing the Roman Empire, for some of the following reasons:

The sea represents the Gentile nations generally (Is. 17:12; 60:5). In Daniel 7:1-7, we are given a description of four beasts, representing successive empires. The fourth in that series was the Roman Empire, and the description of the beast here largely matches the description given by Daniel. At the same time, certain features of the earlier beasts from Daniel are incorporated by John into his description of Rome, making Rome here something of a culmination beast. For example, the image of leopard, lion and bear are used by Daniel for the earlier empires, but by John here they are incorporated into Rome. And when in one instance Paul was delivered from the power of Rome, he described it as being delivered from a lion (2 Tim. 4:17).

Rome was known as the city of seven hills, and additional information gleaned later (from Rev. 17: 9-11) tells us that the seven heads of the beast were doubly symbolic. They represented seven kings, and they also represented seven hills. Rome was known in the ancient world as the city of seven hills, and just as we recognize the Big Easy as New Orleans, or the Windy City as Chicago, so the first century readers would have known instantly that we were talking about Rome.

The fact that the seven heads were seven kings also helps us date the book using internal evidence. Beginning with Julius Caesar, Rome had seven emperors during this period. They were Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, followed by Galba who reigned a “short while,” meaning just a few months. These heads, we are told, were crowned with blasphemy, and it is striking that Caesar worship began in the reign of Augustus, and was particularly intense in Asia Minor—where this book was addressed.

This also helps us understand the head wound that the beast suffered, but then recovered from miraculously. So John tells us that five emperors “were,” meaning that the sixth “is.” Nero was forced to commit suicide in 68 A.D. and that plunged Rome into anarchy and turmoil. It was remarkable that Rome survived at all, and it is also noteworthy that all this happened at the same time that Roman armies were besieging Jerusalem. This is internal evidence that Revelation was given during the reign of Nero, sometime before the destruction of Jerusalem.

After Nero’s death, three emperors ruled within the space of one year—Galba, Otho, and Vitellius. The empire was entirely destabilized. Vespasian was the general who was fighting against Jerusalem, and so he turned things over to his son Titus, returned to Rome and restored order. The Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill was burned in 69 A.D. in the fighting of their civil war. It really was a narrow go.

We should also keep in mind the fact that Satan was the spiritual authority behind Rome. It says several times in this text that the beast obtained its power from the dragon—just as principalities and powers backed the ancient empires of the Old Testament, this was also true of Rome, with Satan as the spiritual force behind the throne—“gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” The scarlet color of the beast matches the dragon, not to mention the number of heads and the number of horns (Rev. 12:3; 17:3). So the beast from the sea represents the persecuting power of unbelieving political authority, embodied at that time in Rome.

This is an important anchor point for interpreting the rest of the book. If the beast from the sea is Rome, it helps us understand what some of the other symbols must be.

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Bible Challenge #18

Becky Pliego on

¡Hola, hola! Welcome to the week of the year in which everyone will be talking about New Year’s resolutions. And the underlying question -everyone’s secret question- is, “Will I have the will power to achieve what I have purposed in my own heart?” The good news for those who belong to God, for those who have been born of God, is that we become better people not by having a stronger will power, or by trying harder; we become better people by the work of the Spirit in us. We don’t have to wait until January 1st to start afresh, because we have each day to start afresh. Each day, when we open our eyes and yawn and stretch under the covers, we are breathing new mercies already. And as we take God’s book each day and open it, we are being renewed because the Holy Spirit is at work in us. Remember Ephesians? We walk in a life of sanctification as a result of the work of Christ on the cross on our behalf. Friends, we don’t have to try harder, Christ has done the hard part already. We should not try to try harder to become better Christians, our doing consists in believing in God and resting assured in the work of Christ on the cross. When we believe this, we start -and continue until the end- acting in faith as Christians. We cannot generate resolutions like pray more, read the Word more, love God more, mortify that sin, love our neighbor -and our enemies- more, can you see that? Only God can produce that in us! What a blessing! So, what are we to do? Nothing? Sleep more until it is late in the day without opening our Bibles? No, we pray and ask God to draw us to Him and then act upon what we have prayed. We take our Bible and open it and trust that He will indeed draw us to Him, that He will indeed feed us, and that He will satisfy us in the morning, every morning, with His steadfast love. And He will. We know that He is faithful: Christ had come and we live by faith.

This week we will continue reading Isaiah (ch.16-36) along with some Psalms (144,143), and start reading the gospel of John after having a catch-up day on Wednesday. I think that many will actually be using the catch-up day to actually catch-up with past readings, but if you are current, and are looking for some suggestions for that day, I would say read 1st John (and even 2nd and 3rd John).

Of course there is an immeasurable treasure to be mined in the pages we will be reading this week, but since this is only an email to encourage you to persevere in the Word, and not a book chapter, I can only emphasize one thing and today I want to point you to the importance of John’s gospel in regards to the case the apostle makes for the deity of Jesus. Be prepared to see the Messiah, the One whom Isaiah prophesied that would come and be with us, actually coming and showing us the glory of the Father. Be prepared to be amazed by God.

Friends, may our prayer this week be, “Father, through Jesus and in Jesus we come to you, asking You to fill us with your Spirit today, that from the fullness of Christ we may continue to receive grace upon grace to Iive the life you have given us to live.” (John 1:16)

Have a blessed New Year’s Celebration with your family and friends!

Under his Sun and by His grace,

Becky Pliego and the Team of Christ Church Ladies Fellowship

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Bible Challenge #17

Becky Pliego on

¡Hola, hola! What a gift you all have been to us, Friends! We are so grateful for each one of you and to the Lord for the work of His Spirit in each one of us. God is so good!

We have a most wonderful week ahead of us. And especially after having read the Pentateuch, and 7 more books of the Old Testament, we now better understand how amazing it is to actually be able to celebrate that the Messiah has come. That The Promised One, the Son of God, became man and dwelt among us. There is no more waiting for us, no more shadows, no more types, no more longing, our Redeemer came as promised to Adam and Eve, to Abraham. Jesus came in the form of a human and died on the cross,  and on the third day He rose again and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father making intercession for us. Let these truths fill your heart and make you sing louder “Joy to the world!”

This week however, will be a very busy week too. We will be busy doing all the good things that we are supposed to do. We will bake and cook, and wrap gifts, and visit with our family, and write notes and make phone calls, and laugh and sing. But we need to make sure that we set apart time so that we don’t end up neglecting the best thing that there is for us to do this week: Meet with God in His Word and in prayer.

Friends, think about this: Christ, the Promised One, the Messiah, the incarnate Word of God came. And now we have been given the Holy Spirit to teach us His Word. Now, through the Holy Spirit, we have been given eyes that see and ears that hear. Now, as we read the Bible, we can understand what a magnificent story this is and how we can be part of it! Isn’t that all together wonderful? Don’t you want to come and eat it and drink from it? Don’t you want to be drawn to it to find satisfaction in it? How can we choose to neglect coming to the fountain of life and joy?

This week, starting on Tuesday, December 26, we will finish reading the gospel of Luke, then read Ephesians on Wednesday, and then start Isaiah along with some psalms on Thursday.

Ephesians is a perfect letter to read this week. It is actually the best Christmas letter you will ever read. In it you will read of the greatest gift no one could have ever imagined (only God, of course!): salvation by grace through faith. You will read how we, Gentiles, can now be part of God’s grand story, of God’s grand redemptive plan, of God’s grand family because of Jesus Christ. And wait until you read this… we have to do nothing to earn this salvation. Nothing. From beginning to end, our salvation is a gift from God.

In Isaiah we will be reminded how even though our salvation is a gift from God, it was a very costly gift. Our Lord had to suffer, bear our sins, become a curse for us and bear on Himself the cup of the wrath of God – that cup that He asked the Father to remove from him. And all that time, through out all of it, God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – was loving us.

Friends, you don’t want to miss these readings. You will be encouraged and your faith will be strengthened as you read these verses, these chapters, these books. Keep your heart and mind open to the work of the Spirit in you and be flexible with all the circumstances around you this week. Remember, our Lord came to serve and not to be served… this week is a great week to imitate Him on that!

May our prayer this week be, “Father, as we read your Word this week, may Christ dwell in our hearts through faith, so that we, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that we may be filled with all the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 3:18-19)

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky Pliego and the Team of Christ Church Ladies Fellowship

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Bible Challenge #16

Becky Pliego on

¡Hola, hola! Welcome to week 15 of our Bible Reading Challenge, Friends! This coming week is the last week we will meet for our Webinar this year (Monday, 18 at 10:00am PST), but we will back on January 8th. I am still hoping, however, to send you an email or two to encourage you and somehow remind you that we are together persevering in this challenge. But… I am not promising anything (insert smiley face here, Friends).

I am so happy for the holidays this year as all my children will be home. We won’t have a white Christmas, but we will for sure have one full of laughter and good conversations around the table. And I am so very grateful for that.

This week we will finish reading the second book of Samuel, Psalms 18 and 54 and then, on Tuesday we will have a very welcome catch-up day. I want to suggest two options for that day:

1. Divide Monday readings in two. The chapters are a bit longer this time, so I’m thinking that you can read the two Psalms on Tuesday.

2. You can read John 1-3 and Matthew 1-3. If you choose this option, you will be reading, in the same week, the three accounts of Jesus’ birth recorded in the Gospels.

After our catch-up day we will start Micah and the gospel of Luke (who also wrote the book of Acts).

Micah was a prophet around the same time as Hosea and Isaiah, and as any other prophet of the Lord, he points to the sins of the people, calls them to repentance and reminds them of God’s lovingkindness and willingness to forgive their sins. When reading Micah, keep your eyes open to see God at work in the midst of judgement: how in His perfect justice He deals with sin, but how in His perfect mercy and compassion, He extends the possibility of reconciliation, of restoration, and of peace. And so we find in this book one of the greatest prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, of Jesus Christ. Now, when you get to chapter 7, be ready to find a passage that will for sure drive you to pray the Scriptures.

Luke was travel companion of Paul and a physician. He also authored the book of Acts, which is like the sequel of his epistle (both are addressed to Theophilus). It is interesting to note how much Mary’s song of praise will make us think of Hannah’s song back in 1 Samuel 2 -and we will talk more about how fascinating this is on our webinar on Monday.

In Luke 19:10 we find the heart of the gospel: “The Son of man came to seek and save the lost.”  and when the time came, “He set his face to go to Jerusalem.” (9:57). Jesus was determined to seek and save the lost, and in many verses you will read how he did that, what strategy He had to find them. Hint: eating and drinking were involved (Luke 7: 34).

This week our readings are wonderful. They are the stories we should be reading in Advent, the stories that make our story make sense. Because of these stories, we put lights all over our homes, and make cookies, and gather with family and friends, and sing with joy. Christ has come, Friends! No more waiting!  And we cannot remain quiet, we cannot be spectators in this huge narrative. We must go tell it on the mountains, over the hills, around our neighborhood, on social media, and everywhere that Jesus Christ is born!

¡Feliz Navidad!

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky Pliego and the team of Christ Church Ladies Fellowship

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