Ten Days

 

The book of Revelation is most commonly known for its graphic descriptions of end times prophecy, but in the second and third chapters, there are letters written to seven churches that existed in the first century. While each of the seven churches were real congregations, they represent the church at large. 

 

In the letter to the church at Smyrna we read, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life (2:10).” The fact that the tribulation for these Christians will last “ten days” has led to debate over the years. Will their tribulation last for exactly ten days, or is the number ten symbolic, using a short, round number? 

 

Dr. Henry Morris sees a connection to the book of Daniel. This makes sense because John clearly relied on Daniel’s writings for Revelation. Remember when Daniel and his three friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) refused to eat the king’s meat and drink his wine? Daniel said to the steward, “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink (1:12).” 

 

The believers in Smyrna were tested for ten days, just as the four obedient young men were tested in Babylonian captivity. What happened in Babylon? “And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies (v.15),” and “As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams (v.17).”

 

What happened in Smyrna during their ten days? That we do not know. But what we can gather by comparing Revelation 2 to Daniel 1 is that what we might consider to be tribulation may just be a test in the mind of God. Tribulation can often be viewed as just torture; nothing good comes from it, and we can’t wait for it to be over. Instead, we should try to view our trials as a test the way Daniel and company did. Try to view your trials as an opportunity to prove something good about yourself and your God. 

 

If you are going through a hard time, determine that at the end of your ten days you are going to be a better person, and somehow God is going to be glorified. If God is trying to teach you a character trait, commit to learn it. If God is trying to fine tune your patience, allow Him to do it. If there is an opportunity to point people to God, commit to making that happen. Please don’t think I am trying to minimize tribulations in life, but neither do I want to waste them. Daniel’s ten days of testing were used to prove the sovereignty of God in a pagan world, and maybe yours will do the same. 

 

 

 

The Suffering Servant

Last week I wrote about the efforts to undermine the writings of the prophet Isaiah, and now I want to highlight what I think Isaiah’s critics ultimately want to do away with. In chapters 52-53 the prophet wrote of the suffering servant, a passage that any unbiased reader would have to conclude is a perfect description of the work of Jesus on the cross. For 1,700 years after Isaiah wrote, rabbis believed this passage to be a prophecy of the Messiah, but today many Jews ignore this passage altogether.

Isaiah wrote that the servant would be “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Many today have trouble with the death of Jesus, believing God would never allow the Messiah to be killed in that way, and that the people would welcome Him with open arms; Isaiah, however, portrays Messiah as one who is rejected and despised by His own people, something we clearly see happen to Jesus. The prophet continued: “Surely he has born our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” God didn’t just allow the crucifixion, He is foretold it.

It gets even better. Isaiah noted, “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed…the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus was pierced on the cross by three nails and a soldier’s spear, and striped by the cat-o-nine-tails. This wasn’t some accident God could not stop, nor a heretic getting what he deserved; God knew our peace with Him could only come by crushing His own Son. That is why Isaiah could say, “Yet it pleased the Lord to crush him,” for “It was the outcome that pleased Him, not the pain[1].” Isaiah said he would die with the wicked and be buried with the rich (Jesus died between criminals and was put in a rich man’s tomb); he would make many people righteous (who else has done that?); and most notably, he would divide the spoil with the strong because he died (in other words, after death he would celebrate victory, a clear picture of the Resurrection).

Please take the time to read these two chapters on your own, for space does not permit me to comment on each line.

When we remember that Micah predicted the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (5:2) and Daniel said He would come before the temple was destroyed (9:26; this happened in AD 70), we are left with a clear picture of Jesus. He was rejected and humiliated, only to bear the sins of many, and make peace between God and all who trust in Jesus. If you are looking for a Savior, Isaiah points Him out to you.  

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[1] MacArthur, John, The Gospel According to God, Crossway, p.141

Who is the Goat?

A new acronym that has been created through social media is “the GOAT,” or the Greatest Of All Time. During the NBA Finals the questions kept coming up, Who is the goat? Is LeBron James the goat? Is Michael Jordan still the goat? During football season questions abound about Tom Brady being the goat. The question is new, and somewhat strange, but our generation is not the first to ask it. In fact, Daniel tried to figure out who the goat was thousands of years ago.

In a troubling vision, Daniel saw a ram with two horns get crushed by a goat with one horn between his eyes. He prayed for understanding of the vision, and God sent the angel Gabriel to explain it in general terms. History has filled in more of the gaps for us. Who is the ram? According to Gabriel, the ram depicted the Medo-Persian Empire, thus the two horns. So who is the goat? Gabriel said the goat was Greece, and history confirms that the goat was Alexander the Great, who in 331 BC defeated the Medes and Persians and became the world’s superpower. However, in the vision the goat’s horn broke off, and four other horns came in to replace it (historically, Alexander the Great died an untimely death, and with no successor, his kingdom was divided into four parts and ruled by four men); one of the four horns became a terror, and would eventually destroy God’s temple and end the daily sacrifices.

History tells us that horn was Antiochus Epiphanes, an absolutely evil monster who desecrated the temple by offering a pig on the altar in 167 BC. Or was it in AD 70 when Titus destroyed the Jerusalem temple? Or will it be when the Antichrist comes during the Great Tribulation? I believe it is all three. Daniel, like many of the prophets, gave a prophecy that had layers of fulfillment. The immediate fulfillment was with Antiochus and Titus, but the ultimate fulfillment will be shortly before the Second Coming of Christ.

While Daniel gives us a clue as to the ram and goat, he also tells us who the real GOAT is. In his other vision Daniel described the Ancient of Days, the most powerful ruler who will sit on the throne forever. There will always be evil people and corrupt rulers, but the best news we have is that Jesus is the Ancient of Days—He is from everlasting to everlasting, and once He sets His throne on earth in the New Jerusalem, His kingdom will have no end.

Writing on the Wall

Have you ever used the phrase, “I saw the handwriting on the wall”? It is an idiom that refers to being able to know something in advance, usually because we have been warned. Someone who sees the handwriting on the wall may start looking for a new job before he is fired, or buy a new car before the clunker breaks down for good.

The expression originates from the Bible’s Old Testament book of Daniel. In the fifth chapter Babylon’s king Belshazzar is throwing a huge banquet for a thousand of his leaders. The feast seems ill-time because Babylon was currently under siege and the Medes and Persians had cut off all supplies into the city. While the wine was flowing freely Belshazzar ordered that the golden vessels from the temple be brought in and used as goblets; drinking from the cups his father had stolen when he sacked Jerusalem, the king made a toast to his gods. That was the last straw.

Suddenly, what appeared to be a human hand began to write on the wall. When none of the king’s wise men could interpret the message, Daniel was summoned. The message, MENE MENE TEKEL PARSIN, can be translated this way: You have been evaluated and found to be lacking. Your days are numbered, and your kingdom will be taken from you and divided in half.

And that is what happened. That very night the king was killed and his kingdom was divided between the Medes and Persians. No one would ever forget the night the king saw the handwriting on the wall.

We have a similar opportunity to see the handwriting on the wall each time we open up the Bible. We can see the mistakes made by others, heed the warnings, and avoid making those same mistakes. We can read about the soon-coming rapture of the church and make sure we are ready. We can note how to be saved and escape the wrath of God.

At the end of our lives we cannot stand before God and plead ignorance. We have seen the handwriting on the wall. I encourage you to make any necessary changes in your life before you regret it. 

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