Hey, everyone! In case you missed it, Giants: Legends and Lore of Goliaths, is the recipient of a Gold Medal in the 2016 Moonbeam Awards! Since I wasn't aware that it was even being submitted for consideration, this is a pretty amazing thing, and caught me completely off-guard. But I sort of feel the need to say something about it, lest I get distracted by what matters.
First, I didn't win the award, the book did, and the book was most definitely a collaborative effort. Bill Looney did the absolutely fantastic illustrations, which - in my opinion - make the book. But the editors over at Masterbooks also had to take my text, take Bill's illustrations, and work them into a coherent, visually-stunning, and interactive work of art. I only wrote the text, and, truthfully, an illustrated pop-up book without illustrations or pop-up elements is . . . boring. Really, really boring. So the book won, and it only did so because of the work of several other individuals. I've received lots of congratulations so far - and thank you for those - but please stop, as my part was very, very small.
Secondly, the whole point of writing the book was not to win an award, but to introduce people to the mind-blowing concept that the Bible is not simply a book of fairy tales that has no historical significance. Like Flood Legends before it, Giants is my way of pointing people to the Bible and reminding them that faith - true, Biblical faith - is never blind. We have a mighty God, an incredible God, a loving, beautiful, awesome God Who has revealed Himself throughout history as recorded in the pages of the Bible. So when I say the Bible can be trusted, what I'm really saying is that the God of the Bible can be trusted, and, indeed, demands our trust. He wants us to know Him on a deeply intimate level, and trusting Him is the only way to begin doing that. Now, this award will, hopefully, make the book more available to people who would not normally come across this sort of thing. That's my prayer, but the motivation remains the same: an avenue for sharing the Gospel.
I'm humbled and proud that Giants actually won an award and for the part I played in it, I'm excited to see what that does for the distribution of it, but at the end of the day, it's ultimately up to you, the readers, to make this thing work. You need to pass out the copies you own, you need to discuss these ideas with your friends and families, you need to open your Bibles with them, and you need to do what each and every believer is called to do: go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Besides, how cool is the topic of giants, anyway? It's a good door to go through, so let's go through it together.
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Friday, October 21, 2016
Angkor Wat and the Khmer of Cambodia
Once there was an Indian prince who loved to walk through the countryside outside of the palace. One day, he met a beautiful princess. He became so enamored with her, that he married her.
On their wedding night, the princess said to the prince, "I am not of your race. I am a Naga spirit." Now the Naga spirits are serpent spirits who dwell in the water. They often take the form of humans, however, in order to interact with us. The prince, upon learning that his new bride was a Naga spirit, was not upset, because her human form was so beautiful.
Soon, he had even more reason to rejoice. The princess' father was so happy about the union that he created a new land for the two of them to rule. So the prince and princess became the first King and Queen of the Khmer people.
-From Cambodia
In the heart of Cambodia rises the imposing architectural marvel known as Angkor Wat. Its massive blocks - some of which weigh in at 3,300 pounds - have been the source of one of the great historical mysteries: how did such an ancient people move and manipulate more than 5 million of these blocks onto the site? Japanese archaeologist Estup Uchida, with the aid of satellite technology, believes he has discovered the secret.
He and his team believe that the ancient Khmer used a series of hundreds of man-made canals to ship the blocks over a distance of 22 miles. The previous theory had the Khmer shipping the blocks via river over a distance of 54 miles. By cutting the distance in half, Uchida now believes the temple's construction period - a time frame of approximately thirty years - is far more feasible.
You can read about the project in more detail at the Cambodian Information Center website, but, in the meantime, there is another component to this story that I want to look at, and that involves the Naga spirits. This is one of the most startling pieces of information, but it only emerges as important when we consider it in light of the other mythology:
1) That the Khmer peoples appear to have been experts at engineering and handling waterways, and
2) The Khmer people believed themselves to have been descended from the Naga, ancient Hindu water/serpent spirits.
Naga (or, more correctly, Naaga) spirits and the worship of them date back centuries, and seem to have been an integral and fundamental part of the formation of Hinduism (though, of course, Hinduism has so many forms and integrates so many other faiths that it is difficult to claim this with any certainty). What is interesting about the Cambodian version of the Naga, however, is that the Khmer who built Angkor Wat believed in seven different types - or "races" - of Nagas. Even today, if you were to visit Angkor Wat, you would see several statues of seven-headed cobras, each one meant to represent the Naga people who helped found that society.
Here's where things get interesting. Ancient Sumerian literature tells of a group of seven water spirits who came to shore and brought with them architecture, literature, engineering - civilization, in short. These "spirits" dressed in the garb of fish, complete with scales, a head and a tail. It is clear from the literature that they were not traditional mermen, but people dressed in costumes. It is interesting to note that seven water spirits, complete with scales, brought civilization to Sumeria.
Oh, but there's more. A Bolivian legend has it that the temple complex of Kalasasaya was built with the aid of a "fish man." Local statues at the temple portray him as a man with fish scales running down his body, and a belt decorated with several large crustaceans. In other words, he was an architect and engineer who dressed like a water creature.
And all of this parallels an ancient Indian (sub-continental India, not Native American) belief that civilization is restored after every calamity by a semi-divine group of beings known as the Seven Risis.
Interesting. . . .
So let's put this all together. In India, we have a belief that a group of seven learned men skilled in the arts of literature, math, and agriculture help rebuild civilization. In Cambodia, we have the belief that their kingdom was built by the Naga peoples, water spirits who excelled in engineering, the crowning achievement of that kingdom being a massive temple complex built with the aid of hundreds of canals. In Sumeria, we have the belief that seven fish-people, led by Oannes, brought civilzation to the ancient Sumerian kingdom. And in South America, the ancient kingdoms were built with the aid of fish-people.
Where does this leave us? I haven't the foggiest idea. It appears to leave us with the bizarre notion that there was an ancient race of engineers who dressed as aquatic beings and helped out mankind at its most dire hour.
Even I realize how ridiculous that sounds.
And yet the parallels - many of them found on the opposite side of the world from others - indicate something must be going on here. Add to these stories the fantastic tales of mermaids and mermen found almost all over the world, and I begin to suspect two possibilities. Let's start with the unlikely one.
The first, that mermaids and mermen actually exist. Despite what many people may argue on conspiracy theory websites, this does not appear to be the case, for several reasons. There has not been, to my knowledge, any credible physical evidence. Many fraudulent bodies, many cases of mistaken identity, but no actual remains. Secondly, biology prevents fish and people from producing offspring. It is genetically impossible for a human and a fish (or water snake) to produce offspring. While the universality of the "merpeople" myth does make one wonder, it shouldn't make us wonder for long: mermaids and mermen do not exist.
Which leaves us with my theory. What if they were an ancient culture, advanced in many ways? I'm not talking about aliens or some kind of mystic, Atlantis-like demigods, but a culture who, like the Egyptians, understood agriculture, language, and engineering. And what if this culture were a maritime culture, its people becoming experts in sailing, swimming, and fishing. They became so much so, in fact, that the ocean and its components became a matter of worship for them. And what if that worship developed so much that they began wearing, as means of worship, clothing and accessories that reflected their admiration for the sea?
We do this even today, putting on clothing depicting movie stars and singers. We buy magazines that give us intimate details of a movie star's life. Is it strange to think this could be a new phenomenon? Only, rather than worship Michael Jackson, they worshiped the ocean. Rather than put up Justin Bieber posters, they put on fish scales. After all, in both the Sumerian and Bolivian cultures, these are clearly people who dressed as water creatures.
Could they have gone out in groups of seven, exploring the oceans? Could they, in their explorations, have found less-developed cultures and, as a means of gesture and goodwill, assisted those cultures with their own knowledge? Think of it as benevolent imperialism. Rather than conquer the "lesser" people, they helped these people develop.
Maybe the Nagas weren't spirits, but people. Maybe they are the reason we have ancient civilizations. Maybe, rather than dismiss mermaid tales, we should be investigating them in light of these other legends. Maybe we should take the Cambodians seriously when they say that they are descended from the Naga, not because they owe their technology to spirit-snakes, but because they owe their civilization to a group of engineers who worshiped the ocean.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Indra and Vrtra
I will declare the mighty deeds of Indra, his foremost of
accomplishments, he who is the Thunder-wielder. He slaughtered the
dragon, then let loose the waters, carving and cleaving the pathways of
the mountain torrents. The dragon who lay on the mountain - it was he
whom Indra killed. Tvastr fashioned a bolt of thunder for Indra, and
Indra did slay the dragon. As the many cattle low with a deep thunder,
so did the waters of the rivers sound as they flowed to the ocean. With
his deadly thunderbolt, Indra slew the mighty dragon Vrtra, and broke
him into pieces. The waters of the torrents flowed over his body, and
the pieces of his body tumbled in the rivers. Vrtra in his greatness
did encompass the mountain, holding back the rivers, and these rivers
did now flow over the mighty Vrtra. Tumbling in the rivers did Vrtra's
body ever reach the ocean, O Indra who released the Seven Rivers.
Indra, you slew the great serpent who obstructed the rivers, and with their rushing, the rivers carved passages in the face of the land; the desert lands were flooded, and the mountains settled into their beds as men who settle to their suppers. Heaven and Earth trembled, all that moved and was immobile trembled, and Ahi - the serpent who was Vrtra - was torn into pieces by your thunderbolt. You are Indra, the great Dragon Slayer.
-From the Rig Veda
Indra, you slew the great serpent who obstructed the rivers, and with their rushing, the rivers carved passages in the face of the land; the desert lands were flooded, and the mountains settled into their beds as men who settle to their suppers. Heaven and Earth trembled, all that moved and was immobile trembled, and Ahi - the serpent who was Vrtra - was torn into pieces by your thunderbolt. You are Indra, the great Dragon Slayer.
-From the Rig Veda
Monday, October 10, 2016
It's the End of the World As We Know It: The Rapture, Part 2
In the last post, we discussed the idea that we can know, based on several Biblical signs, when the Rapture is approaching. Mind you, we cannot predict the date - not from here, at least - but I believe we can be reasonably assured that it isn't likely to happen today, because, as the Scriptures state, we will not be "caught up" and "gathered" until "the Man of Lawlessness . . . sets himself up as god," and, after that, there is a "last trumpet." Since the Beast has not been revealed, and there hasn't been a First Trumpet, we can reasonably assume that the Rapture is not at any moment. This goes against popular belief, but popular belief appears to be . . . wrong.
I stated earlier that I believe the Seventh Trumpet of Revelation may immediately follow the Rapture. After reading the Scriptures for quite some time on this, I believe this is the best and most Scriptural argument. Now, to be clear, the passage in Revelation that talks about the final Trumpet does not say this, and there are detractors who argue against this view. However, the main point I want to get to is that if we take the passages we looked at in the last post and read Revelation 10 and 11 in light of those, this seems like a reasonable assessment. So let's get to it.
When we last saw the Trumpets, the Sixth Trumpet had been sounded and a 200,000,000-spirit army had been unleashed on the world (Revelation 9:13-19). People are killed (9:15), people refuse to repent (19:20-21), but believers are spared (see 9:4). One thing we must keep in mind, however, is that this Trumpet was only the second of three woes. That means that the last Trumpet is called, specifically, a "woe." Remember that as we look at the last Trumpet in a few moments.
So the Sixth Trumpet has sounded, things have gotten really scary on earth for non-believers, then John sees something in Heaven (and on earth) that sort of breaks up the Trumpets:
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down."
Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by Him who lives for ever and ever, Who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as He announced to His servants the prophets."
Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."
So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."
What on earth is going on here? John eats a scroll, he's told not to write some things down, thunder is speaking, and an angel with legs like pillars of fire is straddling the earth and sea. This is pretty strange, but I want us to notice that we're seeing a vitally important announcement here, and that is that "in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as He announced to His servants the prophets." Keep that in mind as we continue through Revelation.
I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. . . .
Now when they have finished their testimony, the Beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on (11:1-5; 7-12).
We've previously looked at this passage, but now I want to put it in context of the rest of Revelation. John has heard the sixth and penultimate Trumpet, which brought about a large angelic/(possibly demonic) army. Then we see an interlude in which the Third Temple, part of which is "given to the Gentiles," is operational. In front of this temple, the Two Witnesses prophesy for 3 1/2 years, are murdered by The Beast, and then are resurrected. Here's where it gets interesting:
At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
"The kingdom of the world has
become the kingdom of our
Lord and of His Christ,
and He will reign for ever and
ever."
And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:
"We give thanks to You, Lord God
Almighty,
the One Who is and Who was,
because You have taken Your great
power
and have begun to reign. . ." (Revelation 11:13-17).
So what do we see? The Witnesses (possibly the Jewish and Gentile Church) are executed, resurrect, and are raptured according to a loud command from heaven (11:12). There is a great earthquake in the city of Jerusalem, and only after this is the Second Woe finished. After that declaration, the Seventh Trumpet is blown, signaling the coming Wrath of God. Now, let's look once more at the passages closely associated with "the rapture," and see what they say.
Jesus, in Matthew 24, says, "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other" (30-31).
In I Corinthians 15, Paul writes: "I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will all be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality" (50-53).
Paul, furthermore, tells us that none of this will happen "until the rebellion occurs and the Man of Lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (II Thessalonians 2:3-4).
And all of this brings us back to Revelation 11. What do we see in Revelation 11?
1) We see Two Witnesses who are called "the two olive trees" and "the two lampstands" (4),
2) We see God supernaturally protect these witnesses (5),
3) We see these men endowed with a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit (6),
4) We see the Beast from the Abyss conquer them (7),
5) We see them resurrect (11),
6) They are raptured with a loud shout (12),
7) This event is called a "woe" for the inhabitants of the earth (14; see also 8:13),
8) The Last Trumpet sounds (15).
We've already looked at the possibility that the Two Witnesses represent the Jewish and Gentile believers. We know that God protects Israel during this time (Revelation 7:1-8;12:6,14), we know that there will be a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit prior to the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:28-32), we know that the Beast will eventually rise up and conquer the Church (13:7), we know that, at the time of the Rapture, the dead in Christ will rise first (I Thess. 4:16), the Rapture will occur with a loud command (I Thess. 4:16), this begins the period of God's Wrath on earth, something from which Jesus promised to spare the Church (Revelation 16; 3:10), and the Rapture occurs with the sound of "a" Final Trumpet (Matthew 24:31; I Cor. 15:51-52; I Thess. 4:16-17).
Seems fairly clear, right? Furthermore, we have numerous signs to look for (Six Trumpets, to be exact), in order for us to be like the man who knows when the thief is coming. However, exactly when between the Sixth and Seventh Trumpets does this occur? We don't know. Therefore, we do not know the day or the hour, but, since we are not "in darkness," it is entirely possible for us to not be caught off guard (I Thess. 4:13 - 5:11). If the Rapture is completely and totally unpredictable, then it doesn't matter how many "signs" you look for, you'll be caught off guard - you can't watch for it. That's not deep theology, that's just common sense.
I'm going to state this as plainly as I can. If "The Rapture" can happen at any moment, at any time, when no one on earth can possibly expect it, and all we have are vague, quasi-signs about war and death (which happen and have happened continuously since . . . well, since man first died), then how on earth can the Church "watch" and "be ready"? How can we possibly not be in darkness, if this is all veiled and hidden from us? Jesus tells us to watch. He tells us to be like the guy who knew when the thief was coming. Paul tells us that the world will walk in darkness and be caught off guard, but we don't walk in darkness. And, listen, most importantly, we're not told that it could happen "at any moment," but, among other things, that the Man of Lawlessness must be revealed first. We know that there will be preceding trumpets. There are specific signs we can look to in order to know when this event is closer. Very specific - much more specific than "wars and rumors of wars." This, Paul says, is a great mystery, and the angel in Revelation 10 tells us that, prior to the Last Trumpet, "the mystery of God will be accomplished" (10:7).
Look, I acknowledge that a lot of this hinges on whether or not the two witnesses are symbols of the Church, and therefore I refuse to state that this take on the Rapture is the answer, the Truth, the absolute, Biblical stance and everyone else is wrong; I won't go there. There are reasons, for example, to believe that the Rapture will happen at the very end, when Jesus physically returns and sends the Beast into the Lake of Fire. But here's the deal: if we're teaching people that the Rapture could happen this second, then we're ignoring Scripture. If we're leading people into a false sense of security, that they can wait until they see the Rapture in order to be saved, then we're also ignoring Scripture (as we'll see when we look at the Bowls of God's Wrath).
Now, some would say that this view removes the urgency of the Gospel, because part of that urgency is to tell people that they don't want to be "left behind." In the timeline I am presenting, by the time the Rapture happens, the Beast has already set up his kingdom, he has already forced people to choose whether or not they will worship him, he has persecuted and overcome Christians, the Rapture happens, the Church is taken, and the only people left are those who have sworn allegiance to the Beast and the Dragon. There is, by the time the Rapture happens, no more witnessing. If you are left behind, you will not be saved, and once the Beast arrives, he will deceive many, many people through lies, counterfeit miracles, and the like, while fear will keep any remaining doubters in line. Folks, if you're not a believer when the Rapture happens, there is - I'm just reading the Scriptures on this one - a high likelihood that you won't ever be a believer. As a result, the sense of urgency for the Gospel goes nowhere. Rather, it amplifies. Popular Christian literature teaches that once the Rapture happens, you can just be saved then. Do you know what that does? It leads people into a false sense of security. If the lies of the Beast are so persuasive, however, that Jesus is concerned that He won't find any faith left on earth (Luke 18:8), then it sounds like if you're waiting to see the Rapture before you believe in Christ, it may be too late.
More than this, though, the Gospel does not revolve around the Rapture. The Gospel revolves around the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether the Rapture is this year, next year, or a million years from now, we are all sinners in need of Jesus, and none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. Any one of us can be taken from this world, because we don't know the span of our lives. So understand, if you're reading this and you don't believe Jesus is Lord, don't wait for the Rapture to make a decision, because you may not live long enough to see that. Don't decide to wait until The Beast shows up, because you may not live long enough to see that. As believers, our hope of forgiveness is in the work of Jesus, not the timing of the Rapture. As non-believers, your hope is in the work of Jesus, not the timing of the Rapture.
I stated earlier that I believe the Seventh Trumpet of Revelation may immediately follow the Rapture. After reading the Scriptures for quite some time on this, I believe this is the best and most Scriptural argument. Now, to be clear, the passage in Revelation that talks about the final Trumpet does not say this, and there are detractors who argue against this view. However, the main point I want to get to is that if we take the passages we looked at in the last post and read Revelation 10 and 11 in light of those, this seems like a reasonable assessment. So let's get to it.
When we last saw the Trumpets, the Sixth Trumpet had been sounded and a 200,000,000-spirit army had been unleashed on the world (Revelation 9:13-19). People are killed (9:15), people refuse to repent (19:20-21), but believers are spared (see 9:4). One thing we must keep in mind, however, is that this Trumpet was only the second of three woes. That means that the last Trumpet is called, specifically, a "woe." Remember that as we look at the last Trumpet in a few moments.
So the Sixth Trumpet has sounded, things have gotten really scary on earth for non-believers, then John sees something in Heaven (and on earth) that sort of breaks up the Trumpets:
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down."
Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. And he swore by Him who lives for ever and ever, Who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, "There will be no more delay! But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as He announced to His servants the prophets."
Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me once more: "Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land."
So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, "Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey." I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings."
What on earth is going on here? John eats a scroll, he's told not to write some things down, thunder is speaking, and an angel with legs like pillars of fire is straddling the earth and sea. This is pretty strange, but I want us to notice that we're seeing a vitally important announcement here, and that is that "in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as He announced to His servants the prophets." Keep that in mind as we continue through Revelation.
I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." These are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. . . .
Now when they have finished their testimony, the Beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial.The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on (11:1-5; 7-12).
We've previously looked at this passage, but now I want to put it in context of the rest of Revelation. John has heard the sixth and penultimate Trumpet, which brought about a large angelic/(possibly demonic) army. Then we see an interlude in which the Third Temple, part of which is "given to the Gentiles," is operational. In front of this temple, the Two Witnesses prophesy for 3 1/2 years, are murdered by The Beast, and then are resurrected. Here's where it gets interesting:
At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon.
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:
"The kingdom of the world has
become the kingdom of our
Lord and of His Christ,
and He will reign for ever and
ever."
And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying:
"We give thanks to You, Lord God
Almighty,
the One Who is and Who was,
because You have taken Your great
power
and have begun to reign. . ." (Revelation 11:13-17).
So what do we see? The Witnesses (possibly the Jewish and Gentile Church) are executed, resurrect, and are raptured according to a loud command from heaven (11:12). There is a great earthquake in the city of Jerusalem, and only after this is the Second Woe finished. After that declaration, the Seventh Trumpet is blown, signaling the coming Wrath of God. Now, let's look once more at the passages closely associated with "the rapture," and see what they say.
Jesus, in Matthew 24, says, "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other" (30-31).
In I Corinthians 15, Paul writes: "I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will all be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality" (50-53).
Paul, furthermore, tells us that none of this will happen "until the rebellion occurs and the Man of Lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (II Thessalonians 2:3-4).
And all of this brings us back to Revelation 11. What do we see in Revelation 11?
1) We see Two Witnesses who are called "the two olive trees" and "the two lampstands" (4),
2) We see God supernaturally protect these witnesses (5),
3) We see these men endowed with a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit (6),
4) We see the Beast from the Abyss conquer them (7),
5) We see them resurrect (11),
6) They are raptured with a loud shout (12),
7) This event is called a "woe" for the inhabitants of the earth (14; see also 8:13),
8) The Last Trumpet sounds (15).
We've already looked at the possibility that the Two Witnesses represent the Jewish and Gentile believers. We know that God protects Israel during this time (Revelation 7:1-8;12:6,14), we know that there will be a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit prior to the Day of the Lord (Joel 2:28-32), we know that the Beast will eventually rise up and conquer the Church (13:7), we know that, at the time of the Rapture, the dead in Christ will rise first (I Thess. 4:16), the Rapture will occur with a loud command (I Thess. 4:16), this begins the period of God's Wrath on earth, something from which Jesus promised to spare the Church (Revelation 16; 3:10), and the Rapture occurs with the sound of "a" Final Trumpet (Matthew 24:31; I Cor. 15:51-52; I Thess. 4:16-17).
Seems fairly clear, right? Furthermore, we have numerous signs to look for (Six Trumpets, to be exact), in order for us to be like the man who knows when the thief is coming. However, exactly when between the Sixth and Seventh Trumpets does this occur? We don't know. Therefore, we do not know the day or the hour, but, since we are not "in darkness," it is entirely possible for us to not be caught off guard (I Thess. 4:13 - 5:11). If the Rapture is completely and totally unpredictable, then it doesn't matter how many "signs" you look for, you'll be caught off guard - you can't watch for it. That's not deep theology, that's just common sense.
I'm going to state this as plainly as I can. If "The Rapture" can happen at any moment, at any time, when no one on earth can possibly expect it, and all we have are vague, quasi-signs about war and death (which happen and have happened continuously since . . . well, since man first died), then how on earth can the Church "watch" and "be ready"? How can we possibly not be in darkness, if this is all veiled and hidden from us? Jesus tells us to watch. He tells us to be like the guy who knew when the thief was coming. Paul tells us that the world will walk in darkness and be caught off guard, but we don't walk in darkness. And, listen, most importantly, we're not told that it could happen "at any moment," but, among other things, that the Man of Lawlessness must be revealed first. We know that there will be preceding trumpets. There are specific signs we can look to in order to know when this event is closer. Very specific - much more specific than "wars and rumors of wars." This, Paul says, is a great mystery, and the angel in Revelation 10 tells us that, prior to the Last Trumpet, "the mystery of God will be accomplished" (10:7).
Look, I acknowledge that a lot of this hinges on whether or not the two witnesses are symbols of the Church, and therefore I refuse to state that this take on the Rapture is the answer, the Truth, the absolute, Biblical stance and everyone else is wrong; I won't go there. There are reasons, for example, to believe that the Rapture will happen at the very end, when Jesus physically returns and sends the Beast into the Lake of Fire. But here's the deal: if we're teaching people that the Rapture could happen this second, then we're ignoring Scripture. If we're leading people into a false sense of security, that they can wait until they see the Rapture in order to be saved, then we're also ignoring Scripture (as we'll see when we look at the Bowls of God's Wrath).
Now, some would say that this view removes the urgency of the Gospel, because part of that urgency is to tell people that they don't want to be "left behind." In the timeline I am presenting, by the time the Rapture happens, the Beast has already set up his kingdom, he has already forced people to choose whether or not they will worship him, he has persecuted and overcome Christians, the Rapture happens, the Church is taken, and the only people left are those who have sworn allegiance to the Beast and the Dragon. There is, by the time the Rapture happens, no more witnessing. If you are left behind, you will not be saved, and once the Beast arrives, he will deceive many, many people through lies, counterfeit miracles, and the like, while fear will keep any remaining doubters in line. Folks, if you're not a believer when the Rapture happens, there is - I'm just reading the Scriptures on this one - a high likelihood that you won't ever be a believer. As a result, the sense of urgency for the Gospel goes nowhere. Rather, it amplifies. Popular Christian literature teaches that once the Rapture happens, you can just be saved then. Do you know what that does? It leads people into a false sense of security. If the lies of the Beast are so persuasive, however, that Jesus is concerned that He won't find any faith left on earth (Luke 18:8), then it sounds like if you're waiting to see the Rapture before you believe in Christ, it may be too late.
More than this, though, the Gospel does not revolve around the Rapture. The Gospel revolves around the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether the Rapture is this year, next year, or a million years from now, we are all sinners in need of Jesus, and none of us is guaranteed tomorrow. Any one of us can be taken from this world, because we don't know the span of our lives. So understand, if you're reading this and you don't believe Jesus is Lord, don't wait for the Rapture to make a decision, because you may not live long enough to see that. Don't decide to wait until The Beast shows up, because you may not live long enough to see that. As believers, our hope of forgiveness is in the work of Jesus, not the timing of the Rapture. As non-believers, your hope is in the work of Jesus, not the timing of the Rapture.
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