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INTRODUCTION
TO
STRANGE WORK
... A COMMENTARY ON REVELATION ...
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Nearly three millennia ago, the prophet Isaiah predicted that the Lord God of hosts would rise up some day and do a strange work on the Earth and, he said, it would come as a destruction upon the whole earth (Isaiah 28:21-22). The last thing that mankind expects today is that the true and living God will actually rise up and initiate such an intervention. Yet, with one voice, the prophets of the Bible predict that is exactly what He will do. The book of Revelation is the most detailed of the Bible's prophecies concerning that fast approaching and supernatural intervention. The lion's share of the book of Revelation (all of chapters 6 through 18) gives us in-depth details about the events, personalities and sequences of that inevitable future day in world history.
Someone has dubbed the book of Revelation, The prophetic Grand Central Station of the Bible. That is a good way to describe it. All of the great eschatological themes of the Bible run to the book of Revelation like train tracks to a central hub. So, as far as prophecy is concerned, the book of Revelation is the most important and relevant book of the Bible for us twenty-first century believers who are living way down here in history in these last days.
On September 24, 2007, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, current President of Iran (speaking in Arabic at Columbia University), began his remarks with this prayer:
In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful … Oh, God, hasten the arrival of Imam al-Mahdi and grant him good health and victory and make us his followers and those to attest to his rightfulness.
This prayer was a call for the Shia Islamic Messiah, Imam al-Mahdi, (the Twelfth Imam) to appear and conquer the world (victory) … and for Ahmadinejad's audience at Columbia (those) to one day bow their knees (attest to his rightfulness) to this long anticipated, Islamic world dictator. Disturbingly, Amadinejad has said that he would like to hasten the Twelfth Imam's appearing by personally starting the last great World War that Shia Moslems believe will usher in their Islamic Messiah. Moslems of Ahmadinejad’s sect believe they can hasten the coming of the Twelfth Imam by starting a war of genocide to defeat the Little Satan (Israel) and its ally, The Great Satan (U.S.A.). As recent as March of 2011, Ahmadinejad’s regime published a video for distribution to the Islamic world called The Coming Is Near. In it, the case is made that all the unrest in the Middle East is a sign of the Mahdi’s soon coming.
Meanwhile, across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, fanatic Islamic Holy Warriors continue to carry out their centuries old agenda of converting infidels with the sword as they await their Imam Al-Mahdi to come and fulfill their dream of their religion being the only religion on planet Earth. Over the centuries, thousands upon thousands of people have lost their lives to these fanatics. Their single purpose and unchanging ultimatum is that every infidel (non-Moslem) must convert to Islam or be exterminated. It is simple as that. Disturbingly, on a world-wide scale, their cause appears to be on the increase.
Here, in the United States, we too have felt the sword of Islam. Nearly three thousand innocent lives were lost on 9/11 alone at the bombing of our World Trade Centers. And, that tragedy was not the first time we had experienced it. Consider all of the American lives lost by the bombing of the Marine barracks in Lebanon, the past attacks on various U.S. Embassies, the bombing of the Cole, the earlier bombing of the World Trade Center and, last but not least, the thousands of American lives that have been lost on the battle fields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Truly, as the Bible predicts:
…in the last days, perilous times will come… Second Timothy 3:1b
Now, standing at the heart of Islam's hatred and in the way of its goals, however, is the little nation of Israel. For years, the eyes of the world have been drawn to this tiny country and its capital at Jerusalem. When Israel was established by the United Nations in 1948, for the first time in nearly two millennia, large numbers of Jews began returning to their ancient homeland. Immediately, war erupted as surrounding Islamic states attempted to eradicate the new fledgling nation. They were not successful, however. But, ever since, war after war has continued over that tiny land, almost non-stop. Over the years, the Arabic nations, the Palestinians, and a host of other Islamic, fundamentalist terrorist organizations have done their best to destroy Israel but, somehow, she has managed to survive. Today, her existence is threatened more than ever. As we speak, skirmish after skirmish is being fought in Gaza between Hamas (backed by Iran) and Israel which has resulted in hundreds of lives being lost. On every side, the red hatred of the enemies of the Jews continues to seethe and build as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other Islamic fascists continue to avow to push Israel into the sea. Iran's current crash program to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles is predicated on this all-consuming goal and the launching of their first satellite into orbit (2/8/2009) was a huge escalation in Iran’s ability to launch its nuclear weapons when they are completed.
Interestingly, the Bible predicts that, in the last days, the ancient nation of Babylon is going to rise again. According to Scripture, Babylon will be Antichrist's world capital and the name of his worldwide empire (Rev. 17:18). Geographically, ancient Babylon was located at the head of the Persian Gulf where Iran, Iraq and Kuwait are situated today. It was at ancient Babylon, under King Nebuchadnezzar, that man-worship first raised its ugly head (Daniel 3). There, Nebuchadnezzar made a statue of himself and decreed that everyone in his empire would have to fall down and worship it. However, three young Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, refused to do so. So, Nebuchadnezzar had them thrown alive into a super-heated fiery furnace. But, the one true and living God intervened and miraculously saved them and, as a result, the three young Hebrews walked out of Nebuchadnezzar's furnace without a single hair on their bodies having been singed. Nor, was there was even the smell of smoke on them! If you would like to read about it in further detail, go to my Internet commentary on Daniel at: biblebookofdaniel.com/chapter3.htm.
Now, coming back to the subject of Iran, fast-forward with me to our present day. Iran has long desired to conquer its neighbors. The last war that Iran initiated against Iraq cost over a million lives. And, had it not been for the assistance of the United States, Iran would have prevailed. If Iran could succeed in conquering Iraq, much of the territory of the ancient Babylonian Empire would be reconstituted.
Let me set forth a possible scenario. If the Rapture of the Church were to occur today, the United States of America (presently the most powerful country on Earth) would be devastated. Millions of Christians, who presently occupy key and strategic positions in our nation, would suddenly and instantly vanish from off the earth. The result would be utter chaos throughout every area of American infrastructure and society. Communications ... transportation ... utilities ... government ... and, most importantly, the United States military would be severely disrupted and crippled in the blink of an eye. In an atom of time, our nation would be thrown into paralysis and chaos. Not so, however, in the Muslim world. Those nations would lose almost no one. Then, with the Christian nations of the world disabled and in utter chaos, the Islamic world would be free to quickly unite and make its long desired move for world domination … and ancient Babylon could quickly rise again. Under those circumstances, The Man of Sin (Antichrist) could step forth upon the world scene, declaring that he is the Twelfth Imam, and billions of fanatic Muslim adorers would instantly be available to march beside him to conquer the world. Three and a half years later, he would then invade Israel, breaking his treaty with them, and seize the temple at Jerusalem and make his claim to be God. Then, once again, in the mold of Nebuchadnezzar of old, man-worship would be imposed upon the world (Rev. 13) and that worst of all manifestations of idolatry would have come full circle. Man-worship, having begun in Babylon, would once again be centered at Babylon … in one last great Gentile, blasphemous, world dominating, theocracy.
In Daniel 11:37-38 (a passage that refers to the coming Antichrist) we read:
Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. (KJV)
Many believers have puzzled over that passage and sought to interpret it. If Antichrist were to be a Moslem, however … this phrase the God of his fathers (from whom he will turn away) would be referring to Allah ... and the God of forces (to whom he will turn) would refer to Satan. According to the Bible, this change of allegiance by Antichrist will occur at the time when he seizes the Jew's temple at Jerusalem, midway through the Tribulation. After that, he will declare himself to be God and demand to be worshipped there by all (Daniel 11:36; Matthew. 24:15; II Thessalonians 2:3-4). We will discuss this in greater depth when we come to Revelation 13.
Now, concerning the nation of Israel, she too would be little affected by the Rapture of the Church. Very few of her people would go missing as well. Now, keep in mind that it is quite likely that Israel currently possesses an arsenal of nuclear weapons. Therefore, she too would emerge from the Rapture as a world power to be reckoned with. Perhaps this will be the key reason that Antichrist will enter into a treaty with her before he sets about to conquer the remainder of the world (Daniel 9:27). That prophetic treaty will insure the peaceful existence of the Jews in their homeland during the first three and a half years of the Tribulation and give them the authority and time to rebuild their temple. This is one possible scenario of what may happen in the aftermath of Christ’s removal of his believers from planet Earth (the Rapture of the Church).
Meanwhile, believers everywhere are asking, are the world events I am witnessing today the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy? On cable television not too long ago, I listened to two well known Bible expositors who felt that the biblical battles of Armageddon and Gog and Magog were virtually upon us. In their opinion, this was evidenced by what we are witnessing on the chaotic world scene today. The book of Revelation, however, clearly states that is not the case. It places the battle of Armageddon at the end of the Great Tribulation (Rev. 16) and the battle of Gog and Magog at the end of the Millennium, over a thousand years later (Rev. 20). Neither Armageddon nor Gog and Magog are upon us at all. However, another great world war, that the Bible predicts, I believe is most certainly on our horizon today. In my opinion, what we are witnessing is the beginning stirrings of that war’s inexorable approach. It is the great world war that will bring Antichrist to power. Immediately after the Rapture, the Bible predicts that Antichrist will quickly arise and seize the whole world by military force. The history of Earth is fast approaching this great prophetic event. When it actually begins to occur in time, like passengers on a runaway train, the peoples of the world will be thrust into the amazing and perilous days of the Tribulation that Jesus foretold and that are so precisely described in his book of Revelation.
Now, let me say a few words about this commentary. First, Strange Work is unique among commentaries on Revelation because it consistently demonstrates that the visions of the book are in the exact chronological order of their future fulfillments. I am not aware of any other commentary that recognizes that fact. Although this may seem unimportant at first glance, this unique approach yields a wealth of new and fresh insights into many things that heretofore have been very mysterious and difficult to interpret. Four examples come to mind:
a. In Strange Work you will find a unique interpretation of the judgment of the sixth seal as to its timing, centrality, literal character, and future significance (Rev. 6:12-17).
b. In Strange Work you will find a fresh and well supported interpretation of the judgment of the two sickles in Revelation 14:14-20 that clearly demonstrates that this is the judgment of wicked Jews from all time (who have just been resurrected) combined with all the wicked Jews who are still living at the end of the Great Tribulation.
c. In Strange Work you will find a probable identification of the seven kings of Revelation 17, by name, who were ancient Caesars of the Roman Empire that are types of the coming Antichrist.
d. In Strange Work you will find a possible new key to understanding the mysterious number of the beast or the name of the beast … 666 … (Revelation 13:17-18), when applied to binary code used to transmit data over the Internet.
Second, Strange Work holds strictly to sound principles of biblical exegesis. Only when one follows a literal, grammatical, historical method of interpretation of the Bible does it consistently yield its truths to its readers (Second Timothy 2:15b).
Third, I have made every attempt to ground Strange Work on sound principles of hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation. This is a big word that simply means that when you are interpreting the Bible (or any other writing for that matter) you must always follow common sense rules of interpretation in order to correctly understand what the author is saying. For example, one of the rules of hermeneutics is the rule of context. Only by consistently studying and acknowledging what was said before and after the point where one is reading can we correctly understand the meaning of the thought of the writer. Violations of sound hermeneutical principles never yield correct interpretations of the Word of God or any other writing for that matter. They invariably lead one away from the meaning that an author intended, rather than … to … the true meaning of what was written.
Fourth, throughout Strange Work, the biblical text, along with the majority of the scriptures that are cited, are printed out for you. So, everything is right there at your finger tips. You will not need to look up anything or necessarily even have a Bible on hand. I have used the new King James Version of the Bible and have taken the liberty to underline and bold print it for added emphasis. For what it is worth, I have also consulted the NIV but, it being an equivalent translation rather than a literal one, I concluded that the NKJV was the better text to use for our study. When interpreting prophecy, each and every word is of vital importance, you see. One needs to know, as nearly as possible, exactly what God has said … not roughly what he said, as would be the case if we were using the NIV or any other equivalent version.
Fifth, throughout Strange Work, where the latest Greek scholarship throws new light on the text, the reader will find the designation NU inserted and the scripture updated at that point. This abbreviation refers to two classic updated works on the original languages and manuscripts of the New Testament. The N stands for the twenty-sixth edition of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament and the U stands for the third edition of the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament, The New Testament Text. So, the reader of Strange Work will be able to see where the latest Greek scholarship has clarified or improved on the translation of the New King James Version. This is in accordance with another sound principle of hermeneutics, by the way. It is called the rule of the priority of the original languages. This rule states that, when one is handling a translation from one language to another, the only reliable way to discover the correctness of the translation is to look to the original language (that would be Greek in the New Testament and Hebrew and a smattering of Aramaic in the Old). NU helps us a great deal in that regard.
Sixth, I have written Strange Work with three groups of people in mind. One, it is written to edify (build up) the Church of Jesus Christ. So, it is primarily written for believers today. Two, it is my prayer that it will be used of the Lord to speak to lost men and women as well so that they might be saved. Three, it is written for those Tribulation Saints who are going to come to Christ during the dark days of the coming Tribulation (Revelation 7:9-17). Nothing would thrill me more than if those people of that future day were to find access to this commentary and discover God's plan and will, comfort and help, during the coming dark days of Earth's two thousand five hundred and twenty day trial.
Finally, I have written Strange Work in the style of how I speak … as if the reader and I were just chatting together … seated in front of a cheery fireplace in a cozy room. Therefore, if you find the grammar and punctuation not exactly according to rule … it is on purpose … for easy reading and my own way of communicating. Also, I realize that the book of Revelation can be a bit intimidating at first. But, I would strongly encourage each reader to stick with it. The blessings and rewards for doing so are beyond measure. There are very few unsolved mysteries in the book of Revelation. After all, it is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. It is not a book that is hard to interpret. The difficulty is in simply believing what it so plainly says.
Now, let me acknowledge some of those who have helped me along in my understanding of the Bible and in my study of Revelation. I absolve them of any responsibility, however, for any interpretations in Strange Work with which they might not agree or deem inaccurate. I gratefully thank and acknowledge the following men of God who have helped me in my understanding of Revelation, as well as helped me with my own walk with the Lord, sharing with me their love for the Savior and His Word, either by their writings or in person.
A Study in the Revelation ... E. F. Webber, D.D., F.R.G.S. (Dr. Webber’s book was the first on Revelation that I read as a teenager. My saintly grandmother, Mrs. H.C. Hudson, who often listened to Dr. Webber’s radio broadcasts, sent it to me.)
A Revelation of Jesus Christ ... J. B. Smith
The Apocalypse ... J. A. Seiss
Things to Come ... J. Dwight Pentecost
The Revelation of Jesus Christ ... John F. Walvoord
The Rapture Question ... John F. Walvoord
Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee ... J. Vernon McGee
Dr. Stanley A. Ellison ... Western Seminary, Portland, Oregon
Dr. Earl D. Radmacher ... Western Seminary, Portland, Oregon
Dr. John G. Mitchell ... Multnomah School of the Bible (Now: Multnomah University and Biblical Seminary), Portland, Oregon
Dr. Roger D. Congdon ... Multnomah School of the Bible, Portland, Oregon
Finally, here is an outline of the book of Revelation that I have found helpful. It would be a good one to memorize. The lion's share of it came from Dr. Stanley Ellison:
I. The vision of Jesus Christ in Glory (Chapter 1)
II. The vision of Jesus Christ midst his Churches (Chapters 2-3)
III. The vision of Jesus Christ in Coronation (Chapters 4-5)
IV. The vision of Jesus Christ in Judgment (Chapters 6-18)
V. The vision of Jesus Christ in Return (Chapters 19-20)
VI. The vision of Jesus Christ in Eternity (Chapters 21-22)
Are you ready to begin? Well then, fasten your spiritual seat belt. In the book of Revelation we are about to experience the most spectacular, eye-popping, into the future … ride of our spiritual lives!