Silence in Heaven

Reflections on Revelation 8:1

I remember as a child having to answer my dad when he asked, "Son, did you do this?" I seldom wanted to answer the question, but I usually had to say, "Yes."

Theater in Samaria, 1975

Then Dad asked, "Why did you do it?" I never knew what to say, and usually said, "I don't know." Well, I usually did know, but I also knew that my reason would never stand up under Dad's judgment. Inevitably, I had disobeyed an explicit command or had known better than to do it. I could never argue with Dad's judgment. I could only accept it in silence.

The same is true when the seventh seal is opened, and God announces his judgment. Heaven is filled with silence. God's judgment is conclusive, no opposition remains, and the wicked are silenced.

But the Lord is in his holy temple;
let all the earth be silent before him.
-- Habakkuk 2:20 NIV

The defiant, belligerent, and proud will have nothing to say on that day. Those who make excuses and those who cry "unfair" will also be silenced. Those who spurned the Lamb, or ignored him, will not say a word. The judgment of the Almighty is final (Beale, 1999, p. 447 ff.).

Gathering the Elect

Reflections on Revelation 7:1-17

The sealing of the tribes of Israel and the great multitude gathered before the throne from all nations corresponds to the gathering of the elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other, in Matthew 24:31 and following verses.

The purpose of this section is to assure the servants of God that they will be kept safe when the Lamb pours out his wrath on the nations. Before that day comes, their number is completed and they are sealed on their foreheads that they might be protected (see Revelation 9:4). This picture is based in part on Ezekiel 9 where those who were distressed by the sins of Jerusalem were marked and protected from those who executed God's wrath against the city. Similarly here, the ones sealed are protected from the wrath of the Lamb.

The 144,000 from every tribe of Israel represent all of the saints of God on the earth at one time. Recall that John said earlier that Jesus has released us from our sins and "made us to be a kingdom, to be priests unto his God and Father" (Revelation 1:6). John takes the language of the kingdom and priesthood referring to Israel in the Old Testament and transfers it to the saints of all nations. The numbering signifies that the Lamb knows all who are part of his kingdom and that his wrath is delayed until their number is completed. The sealing signifies that they are protected.

The great multitude is from all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues gathered around the throne where they praise God and the Lamb. They represent all of God's people of all time gathered at the end of the age. Those living at his return are united with those who died before his return (1 Corinthians 15:50-55; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). The shift from the twelve tribes, representing God's people on the earth, to people of every nation and tribe and tongue emphasizes that Christ's kingdom has been conquering while the nations were fighting among themselves, and that his victory is completed with his coming.

One of the elders who stood before the throne confirms the identity of the great multitutde dressed in white robes. They were those who had washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and come through great tribulation while the the nations were at war. Because they had been cleansed and faithful to their commander, they are before the throne of God in his temple. God dwells with them, trials are ended, tears are wiped away, and the Lamb leads them to the water of life. They live in the eternal kingdom of peace after the last enemy has been destroyed.

Signs in Heaven

Reflections on Revelation 6:12-17

The opening of the sixth seal corresponds to the signs of the coming of the Son of Man in Matthew 24:29 and following verses. When the sixth seal is opened, the sun turns black as sackcloth, the moon turns red as blood, and the skies are rolled back like a scroll to reveal the coming of the Son of Man. Kings, generals, the rich and powerful, slaves and free men are all alarmed. They call for the mountains and rocks to cover them and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. The judgment of the nations will soon be completed; the blood of the saints will soon be avenged.

Persecution

Reflections on Revelation 6:9-11

The opening of the fifth seal corresponds to the time of tribulation mentioned in Matthew 24:9 and the following verses. Details of that tribulation will come later. For now, the judgment of the nations has met resistance. The souls of those who have been slain for the word of God and their testimony about Jesus are under the altar.

The altar on which animals were sacrificed stood outside in front of the temple in Jerusalem. John, however, is not looking at the earthly temple made with hands, but on the spiritual temple built by God. On this altar in the spiritual, heavenly temple, the saints offer up their own lives as thank offerings to their God. Their lives are devoted wholly to God, even unto death. Still, in their sufferings and deaths, these cry out to God and ask, "How long before you judge and avenge our blood on the the inhabitants of the earth?" They are given white robes, signifying their reservations at the banquet of the righteous when the judgment of the nations is finished (Revelation 19:6-9). However, they are told to wait a little longer until the number of those to be killed is complete.

The purpose of the fifth seal is to assure those who are suffering for Christ that they have not been forgotten even though the battle continues to rage for a short time. Those who have died have a place reserved in the marriage banquet at the end of the age.

Written for Hollywood

Covenant of War, by Cliff Graham, is the second book in the Lion of War series. It appears to me to be written more with an eye to winning Hollywood contracts than faithfully portraying the lives of David and his mighty men who turned the hearts of a nation to heartfelt devotion to God for generations to come.

Graham warns readers that his novel is filled with violence and justifies it for two reasons. First, he says his novel is no more violent than Scripture itself. While Scripture does refer to many violent events, it is not filled with near as much graphic detail as Graham's novel. I personally find the graphic detail repulsive. Second, he suggests that the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that soldiers experience after battle may explain David's destructive decisions later in life. Scripture, however, explains his later actions as moral failure, not reaction to war trauma.

Graham also warns his readers that his novel includes scenes of sexual temptation. It was troubling to me that Graham leads the reader to believe that one of the heroes, Eleazar, visited a prostitute early in the book (p. 71) and then waits until Eleazar was dying at the end of the book (p. 330) to reveal that he had fled the prostitute's tent at the last moment. Throughout the book, Eleazar appears to be a hypocrite.

Graham writes primarily about David's mighty men, about whom we know very little. We know a great deal more about David, and he is a different person than the David in Graham's story. According to Scripture, David was 37 at the time he became king over all Israel (2 Samuel 5:4-5), not 30 as Graham says (p. 98). Scripture shows David to be a deeply spiritual person with strong moral character. He maintained his integrity in Saul's court despite being surrounded by intrigue. He refused to avenge himself on Saul even when he had opportunity. He did not allow his men to steal from those among whom they lived. He was moral because he was spiritual having a deep faith and trust in God. Graham portrays David as a man whose spirituality failed to give him moral strength.

Scripture shows David to be a compassionate leader. He was a shepherd of God's people. He defended the weak, bound up the wounds of the injured, and gave refreshment to the weary. He gave refuge to those who were discouraged, discontented, and in debt (1 Samuel 22:2). He protected a priest who escaped Saul's massacre of the priests at Nob (1 Samuel 22:20 ff.). Graham gives the impression that David's men were ruffians and outlaws. They may have been outcasts, but they were not outlaws.

Furthermore, David's men were not unruly and undisciplined as Graham suggests. Scripture portrays David as a strong, organized leader. Those who joined him at Adullam were not trained soldiers. They were men who were discouraged and in debt. They were afraid to take up arms against Philistine marauders, but David transformed them into an effective military force, probably with the help of some brave, and God-fearing soldiers from Gad and Benjamin whom he made officers (1 Chronicles 12:8-18). Before long, they saved Keilah from Philistine marauders and were protecting Judah's southern border from desert tribes. David did not permit his men to be divisive and insisted that all from the greatest to the least be appreciated (1 Samuel 30:22-25). Benaiah, captain of David's bodyguard and an army officer, was a priest (1 Chronicles 27:5-6). His closest advisers were the prophet Gad and the priest Abiathar (1 Samuel 22:5; 23:9). Prophets and priests continued to fill key positions throughout his reign to ensure adherence to the law (e.g. 1 Chronicles 26:29-32).

Finally, Scripture says that the northern tribes had been wanting to make David their king before Abner suggested it (2 Samuel 3:17-18; 5:1-2). While there may be some indication of tribal rivalries in Scripture, there is no suggestion of the deep suspicions and mistrust of David which Graham pictures.

Graham's book is a work of fiction. It may make a script for a Hollywood movie, but it is neither historical nor Biblical.  I rate the book as a one out of five.