Opus 2026-270: Uncharted Revelation: To Open or Not to Open

People talk about contradictions in scripture.  Revelation has its share.  As we go into chapter 5 we have a book no one can open.  It is not explained why anyone would want to but it is assumed it is needed.  This is a clear statement,

(Rev 5:3 KJV)  And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

The older translations say “no man”.  The modern say “no one”.  

Then suddenly we have one,

(Rev 5:5 KJV)  And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

And so,

(Rev 5:7 KJV)  And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

A thought occurred to me.  That often happens.  I assume the one sitting on the throne is Yahweh, God Almighty.  The lion is Jesus.  Where were they when it was stated that no one could open the book?

Then we have a lot more chanting and expressions about the greatness of the Lamb.  It seem like a lot of theater.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-228: Uncharted Revelation: The Eyes Have It

I can feel myself bogging down on this project.  

One of the questions that cannot be answer and yet is has to do with all the eyes in chapter 4 and 5.  Someone said they reflected wisdom.  I am not sure what gives a scholar the insight to proclaim that.  If he were a farmer he might make some reference to potatoes.

While we are on eyes, look at the description of the Lamb,

(Rev 5:6 KJV)  And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

I assume that this Lamb is Jesus but why seven eyes and horns?  Are the eyes on the end of the horns?  Are they at the base?  Does it matter?

Another important question would be, “How do you justify all the time you spend trying to figure this out?”

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-104: The Picture

Have you ever heard someone look at a Renaissance painting of Jesus and say, “We really don’t know what He look like?”  In a sense that is true, but in a sense it isn’t.  We do not have any photographs or portraits by contemporaries.  We don’t know if he had freckles, or it was left-handed.  We do, however, have descriptions of what Jesus look like.  Here is one,

Revelation 1:13-17 (KJV) And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.  His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were  as a flame of fire;  And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.  And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.  And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

And a little later we have,

Revelation 5:6 (KJV) And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

And,

Revelation 19:11-16 (KJV) 11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

When I see descriptions like this, it tends to make me want to disregard the things that Revelation tells me.  It tends to make me want to reject a literal interpretation.  I do believe that most of revelation is figurative and artistic, not literal, lineal history.  I also believe that any visual relevance that it has is set in a time when we are no longer simply physical beings.  These are descriptions of Jesus, and in other places of God the Father, which we can’t understand because of our limitations.

In the afterlife, when we see someone with glowing eyes and a sword coming out of their mouth, what fills us with horror now might cause waves of love and affection.  Let me give you a sample from our day-to-day lives.  I don’t think I would want to climb up on the back of a tiger and chew on its ear.  You would probably agree, but you have all seen pictures of tiger cubs, climbing the neck of the adult animal, and chewing on its ear or jumping on its tail.  I would not recommend such behavior if you are a tourist in Africa, or India, or just visiting the local zoo.  It is not a survival technique.  If, however, you are the cub of the animal, it would never occur to you to be worried.  It would be home week.

Jesus taught us to call God, “Abba Father”.  He put it in terms that we couldn’t understand now, however, the book of Revelation is trying to get across to us the glory of what it will be like in the presence of Almighty God then.  The pictures are different.  What we don’t understand now will become clear to us then.

Hope to see you on the other side.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-073: Lion or Lamb?

Left to myself I don’t spend a lot of time in the book of Revelation, or in prophecy in general.  I accept that it is part of the Bible, and there are lessons to be learned and directions to be given.  I just don’t understand it and have not been able to discern a clear statement about much of what it involves.  I know there are people who have marvelous outlines of the end times, and have it all figured out, but I am not one of them, and I find their theories have more holes in them than a fishnet.

I’m still open to insights that come as long as they’re not trying to make a chart or graph about all the events that are displayed in glorious color and creative imagination in the book.  I started my thinking in the 23rd Psalm.  As you probably know, that implies that we are sheep, and that God is the Shepherd.

That got me thinking about the nature of sheep, and what it says about us.  I got to thinking how most of us want to be the top dog in the pack, the wolf out hunting for prey, the eagle flying majestically in the sky... you get the idea.  Most of us don’t want to be a sheep which implies being dumb, passive and weak.  Jarringly contrasted, with that is the concept of Jesus, being the Lamb of God.  When we were talking about Him being the perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins that fits.  In the Old Testament, the lamb was sacrificed as part of the atonement process.

Then I get to this picture in revelation,

Revelation 5:5-6 (KJV) 5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

The description of the Lamb here is part of the dystopian tendencies we see in the book of Revelation.  Things are described in ways that just don’t seem logical or realistic.  I think that’s part of what’s going on here.  It’s trying to point out to us that as Jesus comes as the lamb, that is not just a weak passive creature.  He is the mighty Lamb.  In the previous verse, it talks about Him as being the Lion of Judah.

This is not “gentle Jesus, meek, and mild.”  This is the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world.  This is our Savior.  As much as I get frustrated with Revelation as a whole, this is a joy to behold.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-391: What Is Man?

Why in the world is God so interested in human beings?  He created us in His image.  Why?  It’s a question that comes to my mind on a regular basis.

God may be bored and we supply the same entertainment value that a new kitten has.  Our antics probably amuse Him as much as kitten flips over nothing and chasing a red dot.  That’s one thought but that doesn’t really work.  If that were the case it would certainly be unnecessary for Jesus to die on the cross.  It would be unnecessary to pay for our sins if we were just toys.  The cross, actually becoming sin for us, Jesus would take a pass on these if we were on the level of a new set of Legos.

So what is it?

Now we cross over into pure speculation, but my mind goes to those promises about us reigning with Him.  

(Rev 5:10 KJV)  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

As my attention went to that concept, it occurred to me that our egos get involved when we read something like this.  We also have this strange idea the people in power, if they are doing their job right, just sit around giving orders and eating bonbons all day.  Not so.  Effective rulers work very hard.  When it talks about us reigning and ruling, we need to put aside the idea that we’re going to be top level executives in a corner office with an executive secretary, an expense account and private bartender and think instead of being the lieutenant who’s out in the field checking outhouses to make sure they’ve been dug in the right place.

God is planning on being around for a long time.  Eternity goes on forever.  It’s very possible that we are not His only creations.  It could be that what He has in mind for the long term is a whole additional expansion of what He’s done now.  It’s very possible that He is grooming us to be on board as His assistants.  You might say, “I didn’t sign up for that.”  Maybe not, but you should have read the fine print.  It did say you would be reigning.  Reigning is not a party, it’s not just a privilege, it is a responsibility.

You were warned.  I am speculating.  It’s not heresy if you’re just speculating, is it?

homo unius libri