Bismarck Church of Christ

Author – Walter Clark, source – Bismarck Church of Christ bulletin, 2/12/12

What if the very things you depended upon; the group you trusted; the beliefs you cling to; the religion you place your faith in; the country you’re proud of; the family who raised you – ends up being the very thing that will destroy you? What if you’re backing the wrong team? What do you do? I sat and listened to a group of young men in a correction facility talk about how rotten the system is; the police, the judges, the whole lot of ‘em. Hmmm. Is it the system that’s rotten or is it the lifestyle they’ve chosen? Let’s look at it this way: if you bet on the Patriots to win the Super bowl, who do you blame for your loss of money? Is it those stinking Patriots? How about the NFL? Maybe it’s your bookie. Do you hate that Eli Manning? Do you call the guy with the bat in his hand all kinds of names when he comes to collect his money? I mean, somebody messed up here; somebody is to blame for your loss.

Chapter 15 was a pause before the outpouring of the wrath of God. In chapter 16 the wrath is poured out in rapid succession. The first bowl is poured out and everyone who has the mark of the beast is covered with loathsome and malignant sores. You might say that they bet on the wrong team. They thought the beast would give them power; they thought worshiping his image would ensure their strangle hold on the world. They are discovering that the God of the Christians, not Rome, is really in charge. Because this is a vision in a book of visions, I don’t think this is literal. What is real, however, is that they will be made painfully aware that they have been on the wrong side.

The second bowl is poured out and the sea becomes like the blood of a dead man. So, coagulating blood will choke the once living sea. Sounds wonderful. McGuiggan believes this is about shutting down the shipping lanes. I think it is much more than that. It is smelly death blood spreading across the sea. The third bowl is poured out on the rivers and the springs, which also become blood. From what follows we know this is about polluting the drinking water. These plagues are reminiscent of the first plague poured out on the Egyptians (Exodus 7:14-24). The Nile was turned to blood and the fish died and the Egyptians found it difficult to find drinking water. After these plagues the angel of the waters (there is a lot of evidence that the ancient Israelites assigned angels to various different elements) sings what some call a “judgment doxology”, a short hymn praising God’s judgment. This hymn is highly ironic: the Romans who seemed excited to spill the blood of Christians are now forced to drink blood. The phrase “they deserve it” is literally, “they are worthy of it”. God’s judgment fits the crime. After the hymn there is an outburst of agreement from the altar. This could be the altar itself or some suggest that it represents the voice of the martyrs under the altar. Either way, there is a resounding “YES!” to God’s judgment. Can we trust God to do what is right? Can we get off the judge’s bench and let God do what he is infinitely more qualified than us to do? And when the Third Reich fell, don’t you think there were many voice shouting out a heartfelt “Amen”?

The fourth bowl is poured out and the sun is intensified and scorches men with fire. In chapter 7 the saints who are with the Lamb are promised that they will not go hungry or be burned by the sun. This wrath is being poured out on the followers of the beast; the Romans who worshipped Rome as a god. Again, this is not intended to be taken literally. Rome has already experienced the heat of God’s wrath. Notice their response. They blaspheme the name of God and they refuse to repent. Augustine, in his City of God, tells us that after Rome was sacked by the Goths (410 AD) they blamed the Christians. Even before being sacked they ranted about the gods punishing them with earthquakes, famines, and droughts because of the Christians. Maybe God was trying to show them the winning side and instead of acknowledging his reign, goodness, and holiness, they railed against Him. They refused to admit that their team was evil and their very ruin. They were like the man clinging to a treasure chest, refusing to let go, as it plummets them to the depths.

Why is it that we hold on so desperately to the things that kill us and refuse to grasp at the only thing that can save us? Why do we defend the corruption; the selfishness; the arrogance; the cruelty and revile the goodness that longs to pluck us from the fire? God is a just God, my friends. There will be judgment and I say “praise God!” If you are not on his team repent and jump ship while you can. Right now would be a good time. May you acknowledge the one true judge. May justice prevail. Blessings, Walter

Author – Walter Clark, source – Bismarck Church of Christ bulletin, 1/29/12

Have you ever heard this in a Bible study: “The Bible says that’s a sin and if you don’t stop you’re going right to Hell”? I just recently heard this at a prison Bible study. Can you see the irony just dripping all over the place? There are some things to be dealt with here to be sure. There is a Hell boys and girls and you definitely don’t want to go there. God is a judge who sometimes judges in his wrath. But some Christians talk of God’s wrath with a glint in their eyes, as if they just can’t wait until God gets those sinners. One of the gentlemen in the prison Bible study responded to the above statement of condemnation with, “I just think that it would be better if we tried to encourage people who are caught in sin; if we showed them a better way instead of sending them to Hell with glee.” I want to see God as he is, so I don’t want to water down his word. Our passage for this article (Revelation 14:14-20) is about God’s judgment. It is very bloody and wrathful and disturbing. A word of reminder before we get started: this book was written to Christians who are being persecuted by a Beast of a nation; an empire that was starving their children in prisons, who was feeding their wives to lions in the arena, who was crucifying their fathers. This is a word of comfort to the persecuted Christians who were beginning to feel as if they just might have joined the wrong team.

Our passage is about two harvests; a wheat harvest and a grape harvest. These are, of course, symbols. Verses 14-16 is about a wheat, or grain harvest. We can be reasonably sure about this because the word translated “ripe” in verse 15 is literally “dry”. You harvest grain when it is dry, but you don’t want grapes to be all dried up. In this first harvest, the harvester is Jesus; the son of man of Daniel 7:13; the one who rides a cloud up to the Ancient of Days and receives a kingdom that will last forever. Here, he is riding a white cloud with a crown (most likely a crown of victory, although this is not necessitated by the word) on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. An angel comes out of the presence of God to tell Jesus that it is time to reap. Some see this as evidence that this cannot be Jesus, since an angel is telling him what to do. But this angel comes from the sanctuary; the very presence of God. This is God telling Jesus that it is time. We can accept this can’t we? In Matthew 3:12 and 13:30 Jesus uses the symbol of reaping to speak of the grain being separated from either the chaff or the tares and then being stored in the barn. It is a symbol of the gathering of the elect and separating them out from the wicked. The elect are protected and the wicked are burned. In our passage we get the same message in two separate harvests.

In verses 17-20 we have a harvest of grapes. This time an angel who comes from the presence of God carrying a sickle is told by another angel; an angel of judgment who has authority over fire, to reap grapes and to put them into the winepress of the wrath of God. This is a harvest of the wicked; of those who are deserving of the wrath of God. They are trampled outside of the city and their blood becomes a two hundred mile river that comes to the chest of a horse. Now that is a pleasant thought isn’t it? There are some who take this literally and they almost anticipate this flow of blood with a vengeful giddiness. This is more disturbing to me than the actual vision. And by the way, it is a vision; a symbol. In Isaiah 63 God is pictured walking back to Jerusalem with red-stained garments. When asked about it, he says that he has been treading the grapes of the sinful nations in his wrath. The meaning seems clear enough. When nations rebel against God and torture his people, he responds with wrath. He loves us so much that he gets down right angry when evil people hurt us. And when the wrath of God flows, it is a force that can only be truly envisioned by symbols of trampling and blood.

There will be two harvests. I want to be wheat; I want to be gathered up by the Lord and Savior into his nice warm, safe barn. We can debate all our lives about when this will happen. Does it matter? Just make sure your wheat! I don’t want to be in the grape harvest; the harvest of God’s wrath. Don’t be a grape! There is a Hell boys and girls and you don’t want to go there. Isn’t our job as wheat to get out there and encourage people off of the vine of wrath? It’s not my job to reap. It’s not my job to apply the sharp sickle. I may be comforted that God loves me and is angry when I’m torn to pieces by the evil, but I will not be giddy over the judgment of even my enemies. I want them to be wheat as well. For those of us who are wheat, the harvest will be a moment of immense joy, not because the grapes are trampled, but because we will be gathered into the barn of our Savior, and yes because the torment ends. Be wheat! In Christ,Walter.

Author – Walter Clark, source – Bismarck Church of Christ bulletin, 1/15/12

Why is it that we cringe at the idea of being saints? I admit that I’m not very good at guessing at peoples motives. So, let me tell you mine. It seems easier to think that only a select few can measure up; that only a few can stand with a saintly stance with saintly folded hands and saintly looks of painful purity. Man, is this making sense? You see, if only a few can manage it, then I can sit back and say things like, “Well, you know, I’m not a saint.” All the while patting myself on the back and using my non-sainthood status as an excuse to fall short and feel okay about it. I mean, who wants to feel ashamed? Who wants to say, “I shouldn’t have done that, I’m a saint after all”? Isn’t it easier to relegate all of that responsibility to live righteously on the few; the proud; the SAINTS?

In Revelation 14:1-5 John sees the lamb standing on Mount Zion. This is the true lamb, not that phony lamb who has two measly horns (13:11) and speaks with the voice of a dragon. No, this is the lamb who was slain but now lives; the lion of Judah. He stands because he is ready to go to battle. He stands on Mount Zion because that is where God’s salvation comes from (Psalm 14:7); because that is where the Savior comes from (Isaiah 59:20; Romans 11:26); because that is where God established his king, his son (Psalm 2:6); because Zion is the holy hill, the temple mound, the very presence of God. And with this standing ready to conquer lamb is the 144,000. Again, I would like to suggests that this represents the servants of God; all of the servants of God; his church. They wear the name of the lamb and the name of the father on their foreheads. This tells us that they belong to the lamb and to his father. They bear his name. A story is told of a Greek soldier named Alexander who was lazy, dirty, and insolent. He was brought before Alexander the Great who said, “Either change your ways or change your name.” I wonder if God doesn’t say the same thing. Did you know you wear his name?

John then hears this resounding voice. It was the voice of many waters; of thunder; of kitharists playing their instruments in harmony. It was a wondrously loud. McGuiggan suggests that when John introduces a voice reverberating in the heavens without telling us who the voice belongs to, he is introducing the will of heaven; divine approval. Some have combined this voice with the new song in verse three, but the verbs in verse 2 are singular and the pronoun and verb of verse 3 is plural. The 144,000 sing a new song. When God did something marvelous the people of Israel would respond by singing a song (cf. Exodus 15). In Isaiah 42:9-10 God tells the people that he has proclaimed new things and that their response should be to sing a new song. No one can understand the new song except the servants. And why is that, you ask? How can you burst out in song, praising the Lamb for saving you if you have not been saved? Those who have the mark of the beast cannot understand the song. They may mimic it, but they cannot grasp its wonder because they are not the saved.

In verses 4 and 5 John describes the servants as not having been defiled (stained, soiled) by women who have kept themselves chaste. Often in the Old Testament, God refers to idolatry as adultery or harlotry (Jeremiah 3:2; 13:27; Ezekiel 16:15-38; 23:1-49; Hosea 5:4; 6:10). John is saying that the 144,000 have kept themselves faithful for God. They have been purchased from among mankind; they are the first-fruits. The language is highly sacrificial, but it is also highly holy. They have been set apart and dedicated to God. No lie was found on their lips and they are blameless. Blameless? Really?

Sometimes I focus too much on my humanity; sometimes I make excuses based upon my humanity. I’m not saying that I’m perfect, but I’m tired of not aiming higher. I’m tired of settling. I’ve been purchased with the blood of the lamb to be more than common stock humanity. I’ve been purchased to be offered as the first fruit sacrifice for the king of kings. The British Museum in London has a statue of Apollo. McGuiggan mentions that they have studied men who come in and look at this statue of the ideal man. When they come in all bent over with the cares of the world bearing down on them, they leave walking taller; straighter; because they have seen the ideal. You see, the 144,000 are the ones who follow the lamb. In order to follow the lamb, you have to keep your eyes on him. He is the ideal perfect man. Focus on him; stare until your eyes go blurry and then stare some more. Study what he does and then know that he has purchased you with his blood. My friend you are a saint! Live it! Grace and peace to you. Walter

Author – Walter Clark, source – Bismarck Church of Christ bulletin, 1/01/12

Have you ever heard anyone say, “Stand up to a bully and he’ll back down”? Man, does this ring true for your life experience? It doesn’t for mine. My own personal bullies just got meaner; they didn’t respect my courage; they didn’t turn out to be great big cowards. And I didn’t all of a sudden know how to fight; grow stronger; or miraculously prevail by some cosmic karma. No, I was still sat on top of the water fountain as the mountainous bulks turned on the water and laughed. I still had an alligator clip painfully attached to my back, right where I couldn’t grab it. I’ve had people ask me why I didn’t fight back. Really? You don’t know? I was small and I was happy to escape with wet pants or a painful back. Because, in my reality, the bullies don’t back down when you stand up to them. No, they escalate! And, have you noticed that nations can be bullies as well? And what if you happen to be the small group that a nation has decided to bully? Can hope be found here?

In Revelation 13:1-10 we are introduced to the first of two beasts. The dragon stands on the sand of the seashore; probably waiting for or summoning the beast. This is Satan in all his hideously demented ferociousness. The beast has seven heads and ten horns and wore ten crowns. Does this sound familiar? Yeah, the dragon also had seven heads and ten horns and wore ten crowns. This is all about complete power. But according to chapter 12 the dragon has been soundly beat up by the blood of the lamb (three times he has been thwarted). Here we see him giving his power to the beast. And what is this beast? I’m fairly convinced it is Rome; Rome with its seven hills; Rome with seven significant kings; Rome with ten subject kings; Rome pouncing with the power of the dragon coursing through its veins. John sees this beast as a conglomeration of three beasts: like a leopard; feet like a bears; and a mouth like a lion. These same beasts are mentioned in Daniel 7:1-8. They are chewed up by a fourth beast. In Daniel these beasts represent four consecutive ruling nations. In Revelation, John is dealing with one nation, but this one nation has chewed up the nations that preceded it. That’s why it resembles these other nations.

One of the heads has been slain with a fatal wound that was healed. This may refer to the fact that many believed that Nero, even though he killed himself by thrusting a sword through his neck, never actually died, or that he would raise from the dead. Nero was a wicked evil man, who lit the streets of Rome by burning crucified Christians. When he died, many a Christian probably believed that God had judged Rome. There was a brief respite. Ah, but then Domitian came and persecution was resurrected. Now, here is the twisted truth; Satan enjoys mimicking the plans of God. He orchestrates a death and resurrection to enthrall the masses; all those who are not saints; who are not the dwelling place of God. And here’s the truly amazing thing; the masses fall for it. This beast is given a message of arrogance and blasphemy. The emperors of Rome were given and claimed such titles as “savior”, “god”, or “son of god”. Gaius fully intended to erect a statue in the temple, but he died before he actually got around to it. He also forced the Senators to bow down to an empty chair that represented him, even though most Romans found this to be a reprehensible act. Domitian openly claimed to be God. Those crazy Roman emperors.

Then in verse ten, we are told, “If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.” What in the world? Just accept your fate; let the bullies win; let the Romans trample you into the dirt; don’t resist or you will be killed. This doesn’t sound like perseverance to me. It sounds like resignation; like giving up. Doesn’t it? Maybe the problem is with our John Wayneian psyche. The message John is relating is that God is in charge. You are not. Why do we always feel the need to take the reins out of God’s hands? Rome was a bully that was allowed to bully the people of God for a short time. And then God was going to deal with them.

Life can be a scary place. There are bullies out there. They will do everything they can to break you; to make you cave under the pressure. If you rely on your own strength, you will be crushed. God is in charge. How about we let him reign; I mean truly reign. It’s kind of scary; it takes a tremendous amount of faith. But even if the bullies kill you, God has already defeated the power behind the bullies. That means you cannot truly be defeated. Praise God! Grace and peace to you. Walter