WHEN DID THESE THINGS TAKE PLACE?

Recently I have been memorizing and reveling in some wonderful verses from the book of Revelation. Actually, one of them, Revelation 13:8, has been a favorite of mine for many years. But it is a verse that can confuse and disturb. My dealing with it today may disturb you. There are, in fact, two fairly different ways this verse can be translated into English. I want you to see the emphasis of these two translations as a foundation for what I have to say. We can see one in the English Standard Version of the New Testament that I have been using most recently. I will print verses 7 and 8 to give you the context about the beast rising out of the sea.

“Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”
Revelation 13:7,8 e.s.v

The emphasis here is that the only people in the whole world who will not worship the Beast are those whose names were written before the foundation of the Earth in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Now, let me show you the other emphasis from verse 8 in The New International Version which I have used for 40-plus years.

“All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.”
Revelation 13:7 n.i.v.

This translation focuses on the Lamb of God being slain from the creation of the world.

It is worth something to try to see which is the correct translation here. Henry A. Sawtelle in the American commentary noted that revisers from England generally focused on the lamb being slain before the foundation of the world. While translators in America focused on names being written in the book of life. Of course the NIV, which was not written when the American commentary was published, is an exception to this. It is also an exception to something I have noted. Translations done in the last 50 or 75 years tend to focus on names being written rather than the Lamb that was slain. I tell you this to make the point that neither of these are good arguments for how it should be translated. I may be more comfortable with one because I'm an American, but I don't think John or the Holy Spirit of God would be impressed.

The same is true of chronological snobbery. The Holy Spirit does not necessarily like what is old simply because it is old, or what is new because it is up to date. And having studied the syntax in Greek has convinced me that John was emphasizing both of these points equally. It does not matter which one of them I am more comfortable with.

This leaves me with a dilemma. When did these two things actually happen? I know very well when I became a child of God. I was there. I remember the monumental struggle, the spiritual war. I knew that my eternal destiny depended on the decision I made. I knew that if I refused God I would be choosing separation from Him, and would spend eternity in hell. To say that my name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life before I agreed that it should be, seems to be saying struggle and my decision did not matter. And I know they did matter.

And while it may not be quite as emotional to me, the same was true of the crucifixion of Jesus. It took place at a moment in time in the middle of History. Ask those eyewitnesses who saw him scourged and nailed to the cross, who heard him cry, “Father, forgive them.” They were there when the sun was blotted out, and the Earth shook, and the veil of the temple was torn in two as Jesus breathed His last and died.

But both of these statements overlook some things about the complex nature of the Eternal God. Theologians have pointed out that God experiences time differently than we do. The Bible shows Him to be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. The latter two of these especially apply here. Saying God is omnipresent means He is present in every when and where. His omniscience means He knows everything and has known all things from before He created time. A good play will follow a timeline. You can know which scene follows which. But the timeline of a play will not tell you there was a play practice last Thursday night. That is beyond the timeline of the play.

It is true that Jesus suffered for our sins at Calvary. In Romans 6:10 and elsewhere the Bible says Jesus died “once for all” for our sins. Hebrews 5:8-9 speaks to His ordeal.

“Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,”

The scripture says, Jesus “learned obedience.” He had always been obedient to his Father. But He had to go through the trial. And being made perfect He became the source of eternal salvation. He was always sinless. How could He have been made perfect? Well, He had to go through the ordeal. You do not judge a perfect football player, by the cut of his uniform before the game. You may see something about how he played by the blood on his uniform at the end.

But God the Father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit had been there before.

I've actually heard people blame God for the sin of man and the condition of the Earth because He, being omniscient, knew beforehand we would sin, and yet He still created us. Long before you, or I, or Adam had sinned, God knew, God had experienced what it would cost him to redeem us.

The same is true of my conversion. Before the foundation of the earth God knew that I would receive Him. Does that mean that God knew that I would receive Him, so he wrote my name in the Lamb's Book of Life? While that is certainly true, I believe that oversimplifies the matter. It misses the wonder and mystery of God's infinite complexity. In John 6:37 Jesus also said all that the Father gives Him would come to Him. In John 6:44 He said no one could come to him without the Father drawing him. The Bible's point is that God, and the things of God, are more complex and more wonderful than we can fully grasp. When we oversimplify them for the sake of our comfort we miss much of what God is saying and doing in history and in our lives.

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THY WORD

What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase, “Thy Word?” Many of you think of the scripture him, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet.” others of you have memorized from childhood Psalm 119:11 that begins, “Thy word have I hid in my heart.”

This is what to talk to you about today. I am doing something right now that I would really like to encourage other people to do, starting with you. I am trying to memorize the entire New Testament, verse by verse and chapter by chapter. Here is how I am doing it. I read a chapter and memorize the first verse or verses that go together. The next day I read the same chapter over and memorize the next verses. It takes me about a week, sometimes a week and a half, to get the entire chapter memorized and go on to the next chapter. At that rate it will take me just a little over 3 years to memorize the entire New Testament.

I have been helping adults memorize scripture all of my adult life. I've even helped a few who told me beforehand it was impossible for them to memorize. Let me give you 5 Steps that will help you memorize Scripture.

Memorize in only one translation. Some of you have thought you would understand scripture better if you always looked at multiple translations. There is some truth to that but it never applies to Scripture memory. You might be surprised to hear me say that the easiest version to memorize is King James. It is worth an entire blog post to tell you why. And and I myself do not memorize in the King James.

Memorize out loud. Our educational system for some wonderful reasons teaches us to read silently. But you will never be able to memorize silently. A part of this is emphasizing certain words to stick them in your mind.

Repeat the verses over and over, trying to stick the words in your mind and on your lips. Repetition is the key here.

Think about what you are memorizing. The more you understand it the better it will stick in your mind and heart. One of the good reasons for memorizing Scripture is the amount of insight that you will get after you've memorized a verse. But if you can understand something from the start it will help.

Review what you've memorized. Few organizations know more about scripture Memory then The Navigators. (https://www.navigators.org/) There topical memory system, TMS, teaches those who go through the course to review a verse every day for a month.

I will be honest I am not doing this so that I will be able to witness to people with Scripture. Though I must say Scripture memory helps present the gospel. Nor am I trying to do this to use in sermons or even in my writing. My primary reason for this is for God, planting the Scriptures in my life, to transform my character. I want to be more like Christ. And this helps. This evening I spoke with a friend about this on the phone. He told me he thinks of Scripture memory like the parable Jesus told of the wise and foolish virgins. The wise virgins brought oil with them. He said verses he memorized were the oil he brings with him to meet Christ.

But let me tell you the most enjoyable thing about this. When I've memorized a passage I can meditate on it. God feeds my soul, and He feeds my mind. I see things in scripture I had never dreamed were there. And there seems to be no end to what He will show me in His word. It becomes a never ending joy!

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MEASURING YOUR CHURCH

How do you measure the church? Do you measure it by the beauty and size of the building? Do you measure it by the number of programs and activities? Do you measure it by the number of people who attend or the size of the offerings gathered?

In Revelation 11 John was told to do some measuring. And I think his measurements tell us something about measuring the church.

“Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there.’”

YOU MEASURE A CHURCH BY THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

I do not believe that the temple which John was told to measure was just the temple of God in heaven. I believe it is also the temple of God where he dwells in His church. Ephesians 2:21 says we are being built together as a dwelling for God. You measure the church partly by how its members are bonded together like bricks in a wall. This comes from fellowship, from working together, from facing trials together, from believing together, and most of all from praying together. God’s presence blesses a church whose members are bound together in Him. Is your’s a gathering where God dwells? You can sense the presence of God in a church.

YOU MEASURE A CHURCH BY ITS WORSHIP.

The altar is the place of worship. How important is worship to your church? Do people worship sacrificially, giving everything in their lives to God? Does your church worship joyfully, praising God with all of your hearts? Does service and sacrifice spring up out of love for God?

YOU MEASURE A CHURCH BY THE GROWTH OF ITS MEMBERS.

I think it is telling that John was told to measure the temple and the altar and those who worship there. You do not measure a church simply by the number of people who attend. A church must be measured by the spiritual growth in the lives that God has trusted to it. Are people becoming more Christ-like. Are people becoming more and more faithful, more and more devoted, more and more loving from the ministry of your church?

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