“Some good news in the midst of bad”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Thursday, November 3, 2022
Revelation 16: 12-21 (Forward, p. 5) CEV p. 1308
Today I found myself somewhat puzzled by this passage, which is hardly surprising as the Book of Revelation, with its crazy signs, symbols and sequences is hard to fathom or understand. Today’s passage certainly seemed to continue in this vein. But herein there was one specific thing that puzzled me far more than its weird symbolism and events.
He says that Christ will come unannounced, without warning, at a time they least expect. He will surprise them like a thief in the night. However, those translations miss out on one other aspect of how Middle Eastern thieves operated at the time of Christ. Rather than come with stealth, as do present day thieves, they came with great fuss and noise and fan fair, in order to intimate and frighten their potential victim.
Our passage then goes on to say that believers need to be awake and ready no matter what. To me, those warnings seemed almost at odds with each other, almost contradictory, for a surprise seems to denote that you weren’t expecting it. But then, maybe our narrative is simply saying that we need to be up for whatever happens and not let our guard down or our faith falter or lapse.
That problem aside, there are four things that we are told here that we can be certain about:
a) God’s plan and God’s sovereignty
-it is God’s angels that set all of this in motion. That means that God is not surprised, neither that things are out of control, out of His control. It is just the opposite: He is in control and has actually planned it.
b) God’s battle, God’s conflict
-we are told that regardless of how it seemed, how it seems to be a purely geo-political conflict, it isn’t really. There is far more to it than just that. There is a spiritual, supernatural element to this battle or conflict;
-so just as angels have been involved, so too there are evil spirits or demons. In fact, they are ‘behind’ the entire conflict, prompting, inciting earthly kings or rulers to go to war. So, as the apostle Paul points out, we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [that is, our fellow human beings] but against spiritual powers & principalities (see Ephesians 6:12);
c) God’s victory
-nations, in fact, all the kings of the earth, will go to war against God, but all of that will be futile. God will win in spite of their massed forces.
d) God’s judgment and punishment
-there will be a judgment upon all who disobey God and refuse to accept His rule and upon the earth itself there will be terrible destruction and trauma like we have never seen before
End of the world enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists have a field day with this passage and ones like it, for today’s passage mentions the drying up of the River Euphrates, the kings (plural) from the east, the frogs (= evil spirits) that perform miracles and goad the kings into war, the worldwide military alliance against God, the battle at Armageddon, and of course, the beast and the false prophet. Such people have great fun with this and come up with all sorts of explanations as to what this means and how it is unfolding in this present age.
But what I personally like is what an old farmer once said when flippantly asked by an unbeliever just what he got out of reading the Book of Revelation. He replied, “I have read it to the end, and discovered that God wins—and so too do we.” And so, to me at least, the signs and symbols aren’t overly important. They aren’t the things that we should be intently dwelling upon or fixated with. Instead, we are to dwell upon God, to be confident of His outcome and victory, fully trusting in God and His providence, and ready no matter what might happen. Amen.
Forward notes: “See, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and is clothed, not going about naked and exposed to shame” (verse 15).
“In all honesty, I find that in choosing a daily passage, my first impulse is to avoid the selections from Revelation. Its complex metaphors and hyperbolic language can so often lead to misunderstanding and misinterpretation. But Revelation is a book replete with hard spiritual truths that we as Christians cannot ignore.
“We live in a culture that tells us we shouldn’t be experiencing guilt—that this feeling is merely harmful and self-destructive. And sometimes that is a correct diagnosis. But today’s passage tells us that sometimes these feelings can be a catalyst for redemption and change in our lives. Sometimes our guilt is like a physical malady, trying to get our attention. Perhaps we should examine those warning signs rather than ignoring them. Today’s reading reminds us that the Christian life—the human life—requires us to be vigilant, ever keeping watch over our thoughts, intentions, and actions.”
Moving Forward: “Are you reluctant to read Revelation? During this month, commit to reading passages from Revelation each day. At the end, reflect on what you’ve learned—about God and yourself.”