The Application of Scripture
The book of the Revelation surely has a special place for us Gentiles among the books of the Bible.
Let us start with basics. We accept that all the Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, are inspired. The words of the Psalms, for example, are just as surely God-breathed as are the words of the gospels, even though in places the gospels record the actual words of Jesus.
The messages of the different parts of Scripture do not all bear on us in exactly the same way, however. For instance, some of the Old Testament was written directly to Israel. It detailed laws which the nation were commanded to keep. We who are called to be saints in the 20th century do not suppose that we are expected to keep all those commandments. Yet truly these Scriptures were written for our learning. There would be an essential part of our instruction missing if we did not give good heed to this part of the Scripture record. Nevertheless, it is not a Scripture written directly to us. It does not bear directly on us.
This situation is pretty widely accepted in the Christadelphian body. Yet when it comes to the New Testament the same principle is not so readily paid heed to. Whilst it is realised that the Old Testament has parts which do not directly bear on us because the Scripture was written to Israel, it seems to be a natural step from there to say that because the New Testament was written for Christians, then it must have a direct bearing on us today.
A little reflection will show that this is not the case. Even taking the example of the people of Israel, it will be remembered that things written for their guidance with regard to their journeying through the wilderness were not applicable to the time of their settlement in the land of promise. From this consideration we can draw the simple conclusion that the bearing of the meaning of Scripture depends on the situation in which the writing was given.
This principle, it seems to me, is often forgotten in our expositions, and Scripture is expounded as though the writing were delivered as general theoretical doctrines, instead of considerations which applied to real-life situations.
Revelation and Us
From this introduction, for the purpose of this present study I simply want to emphasis the fact that the epistles of the New Testament were not written directly to us in the 20th century, but to brethren and sisters in the 1st century who were in a different situation from ourselves, notably in that they had available for their use the active gift of the Spirit. One would ‘ consequently expect that a good deal of what the epistles writers had to say to the brethren and sisters would bear directly only on those who were so blessed. It seems to be the aim of so many writers, both inside and outside the Brotherhood, to make all passages, in some mysterious way, have direct bearing on our lives.
However, when we cone to the book of the Revelation, here is surely the case of a book which has direct bearing for us. It was written towards the end of the time of the possession of the Holy Spirit gifts; it was written for the future; and it was written for Gentiles – Gentiles, admittedly, in the 7 churches of Asia; but the very construction of the book, stretching forward to the establishment of the Kingdom of God, taken together with the repeated “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear”, is strongly suggestive that this book is the one place in Scripture which is written directly and entirely for Gentiles from John’s day to our own and beyond (if such there be) to the Kingdom.
The importance of this book to us, and especially in the exhortational field of the 7 letters, cannot be overestimated.
A New Chapter
That the book of Revelation can thus be looked on as a new chapter in the purpose of God is confirmed when it is recollected that, throughout the Scripture, when a new phase begins in the outworking of God’s great over-all purpose, there is marked emphasis on angelic activity.
At the time of the Exodus God sent His angel first to meet Moses at the bush, and then to lead Israel through the wilderness (Ex.23:20), and actually to speak to them (v.22) through Moses in Mount Sinai (Acts 7:38). Angels were just as prominent at the time of the return of the exiles from Babylon (Zech. chs.1&2; Hag.2:5; Ezra 5:5; Dan.10:13). Then the Christian era was introduced by angelic pronouncements, as both. Matthew and Luke record. Just as God sent His angel to announce redemption for Israel at the bush, so God sent Gabriel to Mary to announce the birth of Jesus the Saviour.
The book of the Revelation is introduced as having been delivered to John by Jesus’ angel. This is such an important feature of the Revelation that not only is it given pride of place in the first chapter, but it is repeated in the last chapter (22:6&16).
These considerations suggest that the book of Revelation speaks of a quite separate phase of the over-all purpose of God, as distinct from the phase which preceded it as the return under Zerubbabel was from the Exodus from Egypt. In both the Old Testament and the New there are two phases, similar in principle, but different in practical detail.
There is thus real reason for thinking the book of Revelation is our very own book for these times of the Gentiles. And it is so sad that we Christadelphians in these last days show such little concern about it.
Angelic Activity
Angelic activity is not solely concerned with the opening of each of these periods of the outworking of God’s purpose. It is very evident in many parts throughout each period, and this is true quite clearly with respect to the period covered by the book of Revelation.
One of the most outstanding examples of angelic activity in periods gone by was the work of the Angel of the Presence in leading Israel through the wilderness. A brief but interesting picture of the role of this angel is given in Deut. 33. It seems to me that there are certain similarities between this vivid description and that given of the One like the Son of Man who walked in the midst of the 7 golden candlesticks in Rev ch 1.
Because of this we shall commence our study of the letters in the next issue, God willing, with some consideration of the work of the Angel of the Presence, as a necessary starting point to the understanding of the meaning of the letters for believers living in the times of the Gentiles.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One