Photo Courtesy Dennis Johnson
However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. [Matthew 24:36 (NLT)]
I couldn’t finish writing about Revelation without a caution to beware of end times predictions. If someone claims to have secret knowledge or frightens you with their teaching—abandon them ASAP! If Jesus didn’t know when the end would occur, I can guarantee that no mortal will!
Nevertheless, in 1994, radio evangelist Harold Camping predicted the world would end on September 6. When it didn’t, explaining his mistake was a mathematical error, Camping got out his calculator again and predicted the apocalypse would begin precisely at 5:59 PM, May 21, 2011. At that time, those chosen by God would ascend to heaven in the Rapture and cataclysmic earthquakes would rock the earth. After finding himself still here May 22, Camping admitted his understanding of God’s plan was slightly off but continued predicting the world’s end on October 21. When October 22 dawned, the evangelist confessed such predictions were “incorrect and sinful” and finally conceded that God might not tell people the date of Christ’s return. Camping’s apology, however, was little comfort to his followers who’d given up jobs and families to warn people of God’s coming judgment!
Because Joel 2:31 and Revelation 6:12 describe the sun growing dark and the moon turning red as blood before the great day the Lord arrives, we frequently read of “blood moon” predictions! A “blood moon” is a total lunar eclipse during which we see the moon slowly darken and change color from bright white to an orange-red coppery color. Not a rare event, one occurred last November and another will in 2025. On September 28, 2015, however, the fourth such lunar eclipse occurred within two years (a “tetrad event”) and coincided with the Jewish celebration of Sukkot. The concurrence isn’t surprising since Sukkot always occurs on the first full moon following the autumn equinox. Nevertheless, this caused some Christian evangelists to warn of imminent world-shaking events or that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse would reveal their missions. They didn’t! Nevertheless, we’ll probably hear more tribulation prophecies in 2033 when the last full moon in the tetrad occurs on October 8—the first day of Sukkot!
Because Revelation calls “666” the number of the Beast, people try to use 666 to predict the end. Although Revelation’s message shouldn’t frighten believers, many Christians in 17th-century Europe feared the world’s end in 1666. When the Great London Fire that year destroyed much of the city, they thought it the end of the world but, since it lasted only four days and left only ten dead, that wasn’t much of an end!
To determine the Beast’s name, some people use gematria (a system of assigning numeric values to letters or words in the Hebrew language). Although originally limited to Hebrew, they also use Greek, Latin, English, or whatever suits them. Depending on the language, whether first and/or last name is used, and the number of mathematical applications employed, just about any name can be made to total 666 (including Nero Caesar, Julius Caesar, Domitian, Vespasian, Caligula, Mohammed, Pope Benedict IX, Luther, Ronald Reagan, and Mikhail Gorbachev). Don’t fret about 666 or its meaning. We aren’t going to know the Beast’s identity until it appears but we’ll recognize the Beast by the mark!
Last week I wrote about the Episcopal priest Jeopardy contestant and his easy dismissal of Revelation. His dismissal is understandable. False prophecies, outlandish predictions, and farfetched interpretations of Revelation bring shame and ridicule to John’s vision and, by extension, to Jesus. False rapture and end-of-the-world predictions do more than embarrass and discredit the false prophet, they dishonor the Lord and the Christian doctrine of Christ’s return!
It is only by studying Revelation that we can maintain both our hope in the return of Jesus and dispel the doomsday delusions of today’s false prophets. Let us remember that God doesn’t want us to speculate about the timing of His return; He wants us to remain faithful, righteous, watchful, and ready. In the meantime, rather than being sign watchers, we should be disciple makers!
The Apostle Peter tells us that true prophecy isn’t a product of the prophet—prophets only speak God’s revelation. Directed by the Spirit, their words communicate the message the Lord wants sent. Sometimes, however, prophecy is difficult to understand and interpretations of Revelation go from one extreme to the other. Some, like that priest in Monday’s devotion, dismiss it as completely symbolic. To them, Revelation is an allegory about the conflict between good and evil with good winning in the end. On the other extreme, we find obscure theories, convoluted correlations, and implausible explanations of every symbol and metaphor along with sensationalism and unchecked speculation connecting Revelation to current events.
When researching another devotion, I learned that a Jeopardy contestant missed this $1,000 clue: “It’s the ascension heavenward by true Christians both living & dead at Christ’s second coming.” Although the answer was the Rapture, the contestant, an Episcopal priest, remained silent. He later explained that he didn’t believe in the Rapture or hold to a literal reading of Revelation, adding that the literal reading of Revelation is a “a product of the modern era.” His words gave me pause.
Our fast-paced world is ever-changing and once ordinary items like slide rules, cassette tapes, boom boxes, floppy discs, dial phones, film, and VCRs are relics. My kids don’t use maps, write checks, or have a land line and my grands have never used a library card catalogue, set of encyclopedias, dictionary, carbon paper, or typewriter. We no longer need to get up to change channels, turn the lights on or off, or see who’s at the door. Our camera, maps, calculator, credit cards, compass, note pad, address book, plane tickets, and Bible all fit into our cell phones and everything on our phones (along with a fitness tracker and heart monitor) fits into a watch!
I’ve heard it said that no one is truly educated without a passing knowledge of Greek mythology, the works of William Shakespeare, and the Bible. The people who compete on the game show Jeopardy, however, are supposed to have more than a passing knowledge of those subjects and many more. Last month, however, all three Jeopardy contestants were baffled when the $200 clue wanted to know what came between “Our Father which art in Heaven” and “be thy name” in Matthew 6:9. None of the contestants even ventured a guess and, after an embarrassing silence, host Mayim Bialik supplied the answer: “What is ‘hallowed’?”
As we settled into our pews in the sanctuary, people talked loudly, called out to one another, laughed raucously, visited other pews, and checked their phones even after the organist started his beautiful prelude. It wasn’t until the pastor stood at the pulpit and started speaking that they eventually quieted down and put away their phones. As I wondered what became of the awe and reverence that should accompany us into God’s house, I again thought of the time Israel brought the sacred Ark of the Covenant into battle with them. Putting aside their idolatry, consider the lack of respect given to this religious chest designed by God and representing His presence among His people.
Devotions of the Heart 