REVELATION UNCOVERED #13: CHAPTER 14- TWO MARKS

Transcription

1 WE RE ALL MARKED BY SOMETHING! When Bob Dylan s song, Gotta Serve Somebody hit the charts in 1979, I don t think I was quite moved by the truth of it. It sounded very fatalistic to me. However, as we get further and further into the vision of Revelation; as we go into Chapter 14, there is probably no song that speaks its meaning more clearly! This is a big truth to absorb! If we took that truth and put it in Revelation terms ; it would be: EVERYBODY IS MARKED BY SOMETHING. As we learned from the previous chapter and the mark of the beast isn t as straightforward as it first sounds. To quote the song: You may be a preacher, with your spiritual pride. You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side. But you re gonna have to serve somebody. -The beast s system can embed in any system. So the person in the church pew with the wrong heart and spirit carries the mark as much as the militant atheist. We are all marked; by the Lamb, or by the dragon. But what exactly does that term mean; marked? The word in the original Greek for this mark is charagma. In ancient times, there were a number of reasons and means to get a charagma. You might be a slave, and you have been branded for ownership. The image of being a slave is used in both to God, and to a fallen nature all through the New Testament. So the imagery fits. You might have marked yourself. It was common among Roman legions. You serve under a certain general and you want to show your pride and loyalty, so you have his name tattooed on your arm or hand. The charagma may be on your forehead or a seal on a document; like a certified letter. It might be for identification with a powerful house or family, you are under their wing, and that is protection or status for you. All of these images fit a piece of the imagery of how we are all marked. And for all the variation, in this chapter, we are told it ultimately comes down to one of two marks. In several chapters so far, we ve followed a theme of writing, seals, or marks; all representing the same thing. Many mention the hand, but all mention the forehead. The forehead represents what we actively think. It is what we have bought into. This symbol of the forehead had been around some 3000 years by the time John wrote this, so he undoubted thought he was being quite obvious. Chapter 14 opens with this symbol and another we ve already seen, the 144,000. If you remember, we saw the number as 12 squared, 12 tribes, 12 apostles, it is a tribe of tribes. It is the total inclusion of every person and group who has remained true to God. Revelation never speaks of those who have a casual faith; it only refers to those who are completely authentic. As a matter of fact, that s the idea behind one of the hardest passages to understand in all of Revelation: Rev These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. If you take it at face value, it seems to speak of some radical form of celibacy in God s church. But we run into a problem with that literal interpretation; it flies in the face of major Biblical themes. First, nowhere does Scripture teach that sex, in itself, defiles anyone! That type of thinking really seeped in through Greek asceticism. In fact, Scripture encourages intimate relations in the marriage. 1

2 Scripture does not teach women defile; although corrupted men or women can defile. And if it were literal, does that mean there is a special place only men can achieve? If so, how could we reconcile verses like Galatians 3:28? There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. The one theme that does fit across all Scripture is the picture of God s people as His bride. It is the picture of fidelity in a proper covenant and not committing adultery with other gods or philosophies. The imagery that fits is; after the believer s marriage to God, they never committed spiritual adultery. In other words, they are the real deal. That is a relatively small group of people, but it is a group that crosses lines of time, cultures and denominations. They are the real deal; they are marked by God on the forehead. On the other hand, there are those marked by what is not God. This is a wide and diverse group. Some have are religious, some atheistic, some intellectual, some mindlessly rebellious. They may even hate and distain each other, but what they all have in common is that they reject God who is the I AM. God as God defines Himself. BABYLON AND HUMANISM The last chapter told us about this beast-system. It told us about its mark: It s not embedded chips or high tech tattoos on your forehead. It is something that runs far deeper. It is a world system by which people do life. It is how they think, how they see the world, how they see themselves, what they value, how they love, raise families, do business, relate to their neighbors, their mentality, their gods, that is; to that which they submit as ultimate authority; even if it is only themselves. This chapter builds on its imagery of the beast as a world system, this chapter adds something new that reinforces and deepens the imagery we already have. It refers to the place where this beast-system is practiced; it calls it Babylon the Great. But, why Babylon? After all, John is writing from Patmos, he is on a prison island of Rome in the heyday of the Roman Empire, why not Rome? Let s go back several millennia to the dawn of civilization: Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, Come, let s make bricks and bake them thoroughly. They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth. (Genesis 11:1-4) Consider this: There is a software company out of Israel that is in partnership with Google. The company is appropriately named Babylon Software Ltd. Its goal is to develop a universal translating system that not only converts all languages, but all currencies and measurements. Google is essentially building a virtual tower of Babel. Interesting, isn t it? Thousands of years later and we are still moved to the same effort! That s human nature. Remember last week, we looked at the basic definition of HUMANISM; an outlook or system attaching prime importance to human rather than divine. It can take a lot of faces, but that s at the heart of it. 2

3 The story of Babel is really the first documented case of a humanistic system. The beast is a system that is inherently a humanistic. Babylon is the place which operates under this system. And that place can be anywhere, in any culture, because it is not the culture per se; but the spirit that rules that culture. And we don t have to go to the distant past, or wait for the unknown future; we can see the features of the beast in our own time. So what does it look like? Let s let it explain itself. Here are portions of the humanist manifesto, as communicated by the American Humanist Association, whose motto by the way, is Good without God. Their basic description: Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity. Translation: Any thought of God or spiritual realities is holding back the greater good of humanity. It says: Knowledge of the world is derived by observation, experimentation, and rational analysis. Humanist find that science is the best method for determining this knowledge Translation: Science is our god. What we think is the absolute authority of the universe. It says: Humans are an integral part of nature, the result of unguided evolutionary change. Translation: Human beings are a random accident of the universe and a human being is of no more inherent value than a dog, a germ, or a plant. The humanist manifesto claims: Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience. Humanists ground values in human welfare shaped by human circumstances, interest, etc. Translation: A moral system needs no anchor and is based on what is convenient and feels right at the moment. It is subject to change at a moment s notice. It is based on the power of the most voices behind it, regardless of what it might be, or what it might do to the voices in the minority. It goes on to say: Life s fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals. That sounds good, but: What is humane? Caring for the sick may be humane today, but when our interest, experience, and circumstances change; Hitler s final solution may be the definition of humane tomorrow. Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships. Humanists long and strive toward a world of mutual care and concern, free of cruelty and its consequences Sounds like heaven, and we ll wipe away every tear. 3

4 Hmm, but what if a majority, or powerful minority decide; for the welfare of the society and for moral expedience, that say partial birth abortion best fits the common good. (Keeping in mind, that means literally tearing a fetus, limb from limb out of the womb.) Is it true; that a society free of cruelty? -From whose perspective? They baby s? And what if my perspective is irreconcilable with yours? Does might make right? I don t mean this factitiously; there is some beautiful intent in this manifesto. But It s not hard to see where such a system would lead, if we truly are embroiled in a war of spiritual forces. It s not hard to see how the dragon of chaos could turn it into a beast everyone would eagerly follow; at least, at first. It s not hard to see how those disconnected from the wisdom of God would willingly wear its mark. Our natural charagma isn t some mark on the skin; it s not ON the forehead, but IN it. It is our human ego, our natural tendencies and obsession with self. It s where our fallen nature and desires merge comfortably with the very nature and desires of Satan. If we are going to survive this; we ll need help that is larger and higher than ourselves! A CONTRAST OF DESTINIES Chapter 14 doesn t only contrast the marks, it contrasts the destinies. Depending on your mark, your charagma, REST has very different meanings For those marked by God; there is no rest from worship; the greatest state of existence is never interrupted. For those marked by their beast; there is no rest from torment. The idea of burning sulfur (brimstone) is that it melts first, and then burns; it is like napalm or white phosphorous; it doesn t come off. It sticks, like guilt and regret. God doesn t heap us with brimstone, humanity will heap it on itself! Depending on your MARK, God s presence has very different meanings For those marked by God, it is celebration in His presence. It is a song that only they know. They know it through understanding and experience, and the right to know it. For those marked by their beast; the presence of God is His wrath poured out. In the original Greek, verse 10 reads like the mix is poured out unmixed. I would take that to mean more than full strength, I would see that as the concentrate before you add water. Depending on your mark, TIME and ETERNITY have very different meanings Those marked by God may know suffering in many forms, from slander, ridicule, misunderstanding, torture, or deprivation. But they are all for a limited time set by God. -Then comes an eternity of gratification, a life that has known real purpose, and now knows joy in eternity. For those marked by their beast, they may enjoy comfort and a sense of superiority, even an illusion of great purpose and victory; for a time. However, it is only for a time; then comes an eternity of horrific consequence. WHOSE MARK? This evening, we ll go into the deeper meaning of the imagery; but for this morning, it s a win if we can take, just these two truths to heart: 1. WE ARE ALL MARKED BY SOMETHING, or more precisely, BY SOME ONE. 4

5 2. It takes real honesty and openness to recognize whose mark we really carry. It takes the Holy Spirit Himself because; Humanism can wear a very convincing religious face. Here you are sitting nicely in church on a Sunday, but don t be fooled; this question is as crucial to us as anyone else: AT THIS VERY MOMENT, EVEN AS WE WORSHIP HERE; WHOSE CHARAGMA REALLY MARKS US? 5