05/15/2021 – Day 363 – Revelation 18 – 22/ 1 of ?// “How long O Lord!” Answer – It is just a breath away: “He who testifies to these things says, “Surely, I am coming quickly…” 22:20
“Amen. Even so come, Lord Jesus!” (“Maranatha!”) “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Yes, I think I am going to write this summary commentary backwards. For if it is just one day away, 2000 years , or 5,000 years, it is still a relative breath away, is it not? How far does eternity go?
22:18: “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the Holy City, and from the things which are written in this book.”
A warning that should put the fear of God into us.
I’ve heard arguments that say “this book” only refers to John’s book of Revelation. Perhaps, we should see it only as “one”, not 66 books. I would counter that we should let scripture testify to scripture:
Deuteronomy 4: 2-4: “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal Peor, for the Lord your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor. But you held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.”
Dueteronomy 12:32: “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it,; you shall not add to it not take away from it.”
Proverbs 30:6: “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Let He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.” And with regard to liars, in our reading today, Revelation 21:8 pronounces: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
At the cusp into my teenage years , I remember the “Great Planet Earth”, written by Hal Lindsey. (spelling!) It seems it gave birth to all the specific detailed interpretations to the imagery in the Book of Revelations. The Apocalyse was all mapped out. Belief in the rapture came into vogue, which really has a history, of less than 2 centuries out of the 21 centuries since Yeshua ascended into heaven. Amazing how all the great theologians through the first 19 centuries missed that! ; including but not limited to: Ignatius of Antioch, St. Augustine of Hippo, Pope Leo 1 (5th century), Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, John Wyclif, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, John Wesley..
Well, so it is with heresies such as the Mormon church and Jehovah’s Witness, their history does not go back very far either. Well, I am going to bring in Henry H. Halley to help us through this last section: Halley’s Bible Handbook , original copyright in 1927.
“Chapter 21 – The New Heaven and the New Earth:
This chapter describes, not a new social order in this present world but the Eternal Home of the Redeemed, the Father’s House by Many Mansions.” One of the most precious chapters in all of the Bible. How we love to read it!
The First Heaven and Earth had passed away (as said in II Peter 3:10), the Heavens with a great noise (explosion?), and the Earth and its works burned up. What amount of change in the physical universe, we do not know. Or, whether it will be this earth made over and renewed by fire, or an entirely different earth.”
(Jimmy insert: lol – please note the “we do not know” in contrast to our day. If I cannot even begin to fathom God’s holiness and power, how am I going to fathom what heaven is like?)
“Nor can we now comprehend to what extent , with our glorified, incorruptible, spiritual bodies, we may be confined to any material plant or star, or be free to roam in the limitless spheres of space. How we could love to know. Some day we shall.”
Chapter 20:
Verses 1 – 10 – The Millenium –
“The ‘Thousand Years’ occuring six times in verses 2 – 7, is the only actual Biblical mention of the Millenium. The Lord’s Second Coming is said to be mentioned over three hundred times in the New Testament; but the Millenium only here, in this most mysterious part of this mysterious book in the Bible.
To live in the blessed hope and continual Expectation of the Lord’s coming is one thing: to have a theory about the Millenium is quite another. Some think the Millennium will be an Age of Blessedness in this present world; others, that it will be one of the Ages of Eternity after the flesh and blood order of existence has passed. And some talk as if they knew all about it.”
(Jimmy insert – Another great sermon this morning from Alistair on Pentecost Sunday. WIth regard to the Millenium, the Rapture and other more obscure references, which are to compared relatively with: “Is Jesus our Lord Savior?”, I point to Acts 1:7, an Alistair reference this morning as follows: “It is not for you to know.” This does not diminish nor detract in the least from the evidence for the “Infallibility of Scripture”. It is not a big deal in my mind, whatever the good Lord has planned, I have no doubt it will be perfect and beyond opportunity for improvement. But just for yucks I will say, I believe in a literal Millenium kingdom here on earth more than I do the Rapture. I bet you could tell that if you have read my comments the last year. lol. If I am wrong on either or both, I do not believe it will affect my judgment, nor, more importantly, anybody else’s judgment. So there you have it.)
Satan’s Final Doom , verses 7 -10: “Babylon , the Beast and the False Prophet, the agencies through which Satan had done his deadly work, having been destroyed (chapters 17, 18, 19). Satan’s own has at last come. He makes a furious but brief and futile effort to regain hold on the earth.”
(Jimmy note – “futile” is an infinitely stated understatement, lol)
Chapter 20: 11-15 . The Final Judgment.
“… The Judgment will be complete. Every person from every age and nation will be there. Every deed and motive will have been recorded. It will be the ‘Day’ when God shall Judge the Secrets of men, spoken by Paul in Romans 2:16.
There will only be two classes: the Saved and the Lost. The “Books” will have the records of men’s lives. The ‘Book of Life’ will ahve the roll of the Saved. There are many of such mixed character that we would not know where to place them. But God knows.”
“… Even Death itself was cast into the Lake of Fire. For those outside the ‘Lake,’, Death, the nightmare of earthly existence, will Never Again rear its hideous head (21:4).”
Chapter 19: 1-10. Marriage Supper of the Lamb
“Two Hallelujah Choruses. The first Chorus (1-5), expresses Heaven’s Joyous Celebration, over the Destruction of Babylon the Harlot Church. The second Chorus (6 – 8), in a swell of voices like the ocean’s roar and the roll of distant thunder, announces the Marriage of the Lamb to His True Bride.”
Chapter 18. The Fall of Babylon
“Old Testament Babylon, originally, called Babel, where Human Government began its rebellion against God (Genesis 11: 1-9), later became the wonder city of the ancient world (see pages 336-339), and enslaved Israel. Its name is here given to the World_power , which would enslave the Church. This chapter sounds like Jeremiah’s Dirge over Babylon (Jeremiah 51).”
Jimmy insert – Bear in mind that Henry H. Halley wrote this sometime between the 1st edition in 1927 and his death in 1965. If he felt this way then, how much do you think the Church has regressed since that time? See quote below. I will add that the “Fall of Babylon” could apply to our current world governments and their push for a global worldwide government through pagan Marxist ideology)
“… Babylon the Great Harlot” may be Heaven’s Name for Apostate Christendom as a Whole.
Even in our own country, where we think we have the Purest Form of Christianity known since the days of Primitive Persecutions, while there are vast multitudes of Devoted Saints, the countless True and Faithful Churches, Seminaries, Organizations and Movements, headed by Pastors and Leaders of Unwavering Loyalty and Unquestioned Faith, YET, on the other hand, our Churches so generally are so throroughly Humanized, so full of Worldliness, Indifference, Half-Heartedness, Pleasure-Seeking, all kinds of Evil Indulgence, so much Unbelief in Pulpits and in Seminaries, so little of God’s Word in the Preaching, so little of Christ in the Services, so much Lifeless Formalism, so much Professionalism and Ecclesiastical Pomp, so little of the real spirit of Christ, so much Ignorance of God’s Word, and such Indifference to it in the Pulpit — All This makes it look as if the Church as a Whole HAS NOT YET COME ENTIRELY OUT OF ITS GREAT APOSTASY.”
“(Jimmy note: Hardly worth a mention but the only area I can think of as far as constructive criticism of “Halley’s Bible Handbook” would be: 1) excessive capitalization, and 2) compound sentences that just go on and on and on…)
Yes, it is not about the messenger, but I would still encourage y’all to read of Henry H. Halley’s life story and testimony.
Blessings! Soli Deo Gloria! And of course: “Always connected by His grace and through prayer