#revelation #endtimes
This sixth parallel vision is now taking us deeper into the end times, a more ominous vision of rebellion against God, a more global picture of violence against the followers of the Lamb. This picture of the adulteress woman and the beast whom she is in bed with is more extensive.
Babylon is the very essence of the captivity, persecution and destruction of the people of God. She is representative of the world empires Persia, Greece, Rome and beyond. A picture of despotic kings and rulers who set themselves up as absolute over against the Absolute Love. The very opposite of love, uncaring and unmerciful. Anti-Christs. This is something that comes and goes, arises and falls, is defeated and reappears, a picture of the inter-advent period.
Rev 17:3-8 "And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations." And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, "Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come."
Mankind at the fall and throughout history has chosen a perversion of created order where individualism and collectivism are at odds with one another. In created order the image of God is highlighted in the value and dignity of the individual and the humble, mutual submission to the ultimate benefit of the loving relationship.
The Beasts kingdom is in opposition to this picture because he must be ultimate, and therefore in opposition to loving, humble submission to the benefit of others, he subjugates and enslaves those who give Him ultimacy in their lives. They, in an effort to gain ultimacy and independence for themselves, must take on the mark of the beast and be in chains.
Nancy Pearcy explains this phenomenon and explains how the focus upon naturalism as opposed to created order and image bearing bring people into this subjugation.
She explains the development of this through totalitarianism in general as a philosophy of governance.
"Let's go back before Marx to one of the sources of his ideas- Jean Jacques Rousseau. Most of the ideologies that bloodied the twentieth century were influenced by Rousseau. His writings inspired Robespierre in the French Revolution, as well as Marx, Lenin, Mussolini, Hitler, and Mao. Even Pol Pot who massacred a quarter of the population in Cambodia. So if you get a grip on Rousseaus thinking you have a key to understanding much of the modern ("fallen"-my addition) world. ...
Rousseau said the way to grasp the essence of human nature was to hypothesize what we would be liked if we were stripped of all social relationships, morals, laws, customs, traditions-of civilization itself. ... In it are lone, disconnected, autonomous individuals, whose sole motivating force is desire for self-preservation- whart Rousseau called self-love.... Social relationships are not ultimately real; instead they are secondary or derivative, created by individual choice." ...
If our true nature is to be autonomous individuals, then society is contrary to or nature: it is artificial, confining, oppressive. That's why Rousseau's most influential work, The Social Contract, opens with the famous line, "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains" ... For Rousseau, the really oppressive relationships were personal ones like marriage, family, church, and workplace." Nancy Pearcy
"Total Truth:Liberating Christianity From Its Cultural Captivity" page 141 Crossway Books 2005.
Ultimate autonomy in escape from relationship with The Absolute Love, sound familiar?: if not read the first several chapters of Genesis. The result is destruction of the self that was created for relationship. This is the legacy of those who remain in rebellion against the Lamb.
Mat 24:5-14 "For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
More on this captivity- this mark of the beast in tomorrows post.
This sixth parallel vision is now taking us deeper into the end times, a more ominous vision of rebellion against God, a more global picture of violence against the followers of the Lamb. This picture of the adulteress woman and the beast whom she is in bed with is more extensive.
Babylon is the very essence of the captivity, persecution and destruction of the people of God. She is representative of the world empires Persia, Greece, Rome and beyond. A picture of despotic kings and rulers who set themselves up as absolute over against the Absolute Love. The very opposite of love, uncaring and unmerciful. Anti-Christs. This is something that comes and goes, arises and falls, is defeated and reappears, a picture of the inter-advent period.
Rev 17:3-8 "And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations." And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, "Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come."
Mankind at the fall and throughout history has chosen a perversion of created order where individualism and collectivism are at odds with one another. In created order the image of God is highlighted in the value and dignity of the individual and the humble, mutual submission to the ultimate benefit of the loving relationship.
The Beasts kingdom is in opposition to this picture because he must be ultimate, and therefore in opposition to loving, humble submission to the benefit of others, he subjugates and enslaves those who give Him ultimacy in their lives. They, in an effort to gain ultimacy and independence for themselves, must take on the mark of the beast and be in chains.
Nancy Pearcy explains this phenomenon and explains how the focus upon naturalism as opposed to created order and image bearing bring people into this subjugation.
She explains the development of this through totalitarianism in general as a philosophy of governance.
"Let's go back before Marx to one of the sources of his ideas- Jean Jacques Rousseau. Most of the ideologies that bloodied the twentieth century were influenced by Rousseau. His writings inspired Robespierre in the French Revolution, as well as Marx, Lenin, Mussolini, Hitler, and Mao. Even Pol Pot who massacred a quarter of the population in Cambodia. So if you get a grip on Rousseaus thinking you have a key to understanding much of the modern ("fallen"-my addition) world. ...
Rousseau said the way to grasp the essence of human nature was to hypothesize what we would be liked if we were stripped of all social relationships, morals, laws, customs, traditions-of civilization itself. ... In it are lone, disconnected, autonomous individuals, whose sole motivating force is desire for self-preservation- whart Rousseau called self-love.... Social relationships are not ultimately real; instead they are secondary or derivative, created by individual choice." ...
If our true nature is to be autonomous individuals, then society is contrary to or nature: it is artificial, confining, oppressive. That's why Rousseau's most influential work, The Social Contract, opens with the famous line, "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains" ... For Rousseau, the really oppressive relationships were personal ones like marriage, family, church, and workplace." Nancy Pearcy
"Total Truth:Liberating Christianity From Its Cultural Captivity" page 141 Crossway Books 2005.
Ultimate autonomy in escape from relationship with The Absolute Love, sound familiar?: if not read the first several chapters of Genesis. The result is destruction of the self that was created for relationship. This is the legacy of those who remain in rebellion against the Lamb.
Mat 24:5-14 "For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
More on this captivity- this mark of the beast in tomorrows post.
No comments:
Post a Comment