Stephen
Terry, Director
Jesus
and the Book of Revelation
Commentary
for the April 21, 2018 Sabbath School Lesson
“Then
war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and
the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they
lost their place in heaven.” Revelation 12:7-8, NIV
As a child, I grew up in a world that was very black and
white. World War II roared to a conclusion in the decade before I was born. The
righteous forces of the Allies had defeated the evil Axis juggernaut. Millions,
both soldiers and civilians alike, gave their last breath in order to achieve that
victory. With such a terrible price, many hoped that the war would finally
provide a respite from evil, but soon the threat morphed from the totalitarian
regimes of fascism into the similar threat of worldwide Communist domination.
The bellicose Khrushchev and the Cuban Missile Crisis gave an all-too-real face
to the threatening horror. With the recent images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to
remind us of the scale of death in modern warfare, many trembled in fear over
the apparent hopelessness of life under such a Sword of Damocles. This contributed
to the foundation for the peace and love movement of the 1960s and the turmoil
that resulted. Even among those who championed Liberty, Equality, Justice and
Freedom, discord arose over how to achieve those aims. Was it to be achieved
through renunciation of militarism, or was military resistance the only route
to overcome evil?
In this milieu, while I was in high school, I had an
encounter with something that profoundly shaped the course of my life and is foundational
to my perspective over 50 years later. While traveling between my home town of
Port Orchard and the nearby town of Bremerton, I came across an application for
a Bible correspondence course offered by a ministry called The Voice of
Prophecy. Since I had always had an interest in comparative religion, I completed
the application and sent it in. While I had considered religion to essentially
be a social activity that promoted positive values, I was not prepared for what
came to me in reply. A war was raging in Vietnam, and the draft for soldiers to
fight that war was hanging over the heads of all of us while in high school.
Our lives seemed on hold, held hostage by that conflict. Many tried to sort out
some meaning for life or checked out altogether with drugs or unrestrained
hedonism. There was definitely an attitude of grab what pleasure you can now
for tomorrow you might be bleeding out your life in some rice paddy on the
other side of the world. In the midst of that fatalism, that Voice of Prophecy
course revealed that life had a purpose beyond just living and dying, and in
that purpose was to be found the reasons for the turmoil and struggles of life.
The pacifist movement, aided by journalistic activism,
deconstructed the rationale for the Vietnam War and that house of cards collapsed.
Nonetheless, before that happened, I ended up spending a year in Vietnam as
part of that conflict. During that time, I read a book by Ellen White, a 19th
century author, “The Great Controversy” that further bolstered the world view
presented by the Voice of Prophecy. The book was problematic in that it was
steeped in the anti-Catholicism of 19th century America. Many had
come to the Colonies to escape religious persecution. The St. Bartholomew’s Day
Massacre of 1572 was still fresh in the minds of the colonists and provided
continuous fodder for speakers, pamphlets, books and newspaper editorials
attacking a feared attempt by Catholicism to bring similar tactics to the New
World. While time has not substantiated that fear, it continues to run like a dark
thread through some Protestant fundamentalist circles to this day. But aside
from that cultural influence on the book, it presented a biblical case for the
reasons behind the constant strife in the world. Those reasons were not founded
in Catholicism. Instead, they had their genesis in Heaven.
Apparently, a covering cherub known as Lucifer,[i] who is also called the
Devil, decided to usurp God’s rule over the universe. Through political
maneuvering and subterfuge,[ii] he managed to secure the
following of one third of the angelic host.[iii] That became the tipping
point that plunged heaven into all-out war. He did not have the strength to
prevail, and he and his army were cast down to the Earth where the conflict
between the forces of Lucifer and the forces of God has continued.[iv] Like the Vietnam War,
there is a draft. Lucifer drafts all into his army. The only exemption to that
draft is if a person chooses to enlist with God instead. The war is total.
There is no middle ground. Because of Lucifer’s draft, no one is allowed to be
non-aligned. The war has raged for most of Earth’s history. The first
casualties, per the early chapters of Genesis are the primal pair, Adam and Eve.[v] The record of the contest
has raged throughout the pages of the Old Testament where tales of depravity
and consequent destruction illustrate the desperateness of mankind’s lot. In
the midst of that darkness, Jesus was incarnated to die at the hands of the
enemy and buy us the opportunity to be able to choose exemption from the evil
draft. Much of the New Testament is about the implications of that opportunity and
the restoration it offers us. Then in the Revelation at the end of the Bible, a
promised restoration is portrayed. Along with that restoration is the
culmination of the conflict. Evil will be brought to an inglorious end.
I have chosen to claim that opportunity to choose and
have aligned myself with the forces of heaven. This has not freed me from
struggle and loss. Far from it. I lost my first wife, Shirley, to the battle
through a chronic illness. She did not waiver, in spite of the incredible
challenge of Multiple Sclerosis that eventually took her life. She died looking
forward to the day when Jesus would return and she would rise with an
incorruptible body, never again to be challenged by disease. My current wife,
Karin, and I also struggle with the afflictions that are inherent to these
carnal bodies. Even as I write these words, we are struggling with viruses that
have laid us low during a particularly difficult cold and flu season. We know
that the end of these bodies is death, but we also look forward to the glorious
bodies we are promised. We hope to join with Shirley rejoicing on that day. We pray
for our families daily that they will choose to be there as well. It would be a
great sadness if they were not. Sometimes, as we all age, we lament the lost
vigor of youth, wishing we had those days again. But if the transient vigor of
those younger carnal bodies can create such a longing for those days again,
imagine how much greater the vigor and vitality of immortal and incorruptible bodies
will be.
The Bible is unique among books. As one reads through
its pages, something within our hearts feels the truth of its words. Perhaps it
is encoded in our DNA so that when we hear the first few notes of the song, our
heart wants to join in with the melody. The notes are already there within us, waiting
to be called forth. That song calls to all, even those who have long been in
the Devil’s service. Lucifer and his minions would have us believe it is too
late to respond, and that we have been selfishly pursuing our own interests for
far too long to turn back now. But the message of Revelation is that that day
has not yet come where it is too late. Will it come? Yes. But as long as the
notes of the song of Creation and salvation can still be heard, as long as the
heart still stirs ever so slightly in response, the season of salvation
remains, and like the prodigal son,[vi] God will welcome us into
his fellowship. He is willing to put all that has gone before in the past, even
burying it in the depths of the sea,[vii] and He will teach our
hearts to sing boldly the song of Creation. That was a time when “the morning
stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.”[viii] They are waiting
eagerly for us to join the chorus.
Maybe you are in a position where you feel you cannot respond to the call of
God because of commitments you have made. Talk to God about it. He will find a
way. Joseph was able to find the deliverance he sought from God even though he
was imprisoned for attempted rape.[ix] Nonetheless God reached
in behind those prison bars in response to Joseph’s unwavering faithfulness and
lifted him up to the next highest position in Egypt under Pharaoh.[x] Through the school of
affliction, he learned selfless service that allowed him to save not only
himself and his family but all of Egypt in a time of great need. Whoever you
might be and whatever your circumstances are, God has a magnificent purpose for
you that rises beyond anything you might imagine. Perhaps one day you might
have the joy of seeing the smiles on countless faces who may tell you that if
it were not for your sacrifice, they might never have found the joy they now
have. Because of you, they, too, learned the song.
