Image: Grand Tetons, 2015, Photo Credit: Dave Johanson
2 Chronicles 13:18 Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that time; and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the LORD God of their fathers.
2 Chronicles 15:3–4 For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; 4 but when in their trouble they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.
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James Orr is perhaps the leading author among the historians of "Revival". Reading his book evokes a deep longing in sensitive hearts for the benefits that such a phenomenon can bring about. The so called "2nd Great Awakening" or the "Great Revival" of the 18th - early 19th centuries has it critics and I agree with many of their complaints. In many ways the move to "revivalism" in our churches did great harm. It shifted the emphasis in our churches from a comprehensive, collective, covenantal embrace of Christian calling to an, often, hyper-individualistic, experiential "individual relationship with Jesus". It fed the already existing "anti-intellectual" suspicions among the common people and set the stage for new Christian "sects" whose teachings and practices often were based on serious error. Thus, I am not blind to the dark side of the movement.
But there is no denying the good fruits that came from it either. It aroused a strong desire for godliness... sometimes issuing forth in amazing transformations. The rough-hewed, hard living, hard fighting, hard drinking frontiersmen of the day were, on many occasions, transformed into serious, godly men who gave up their wicked ways and changed the entire rest of their lives. Orr, to my recollection, records how a revival began in an upstairs room in a saloon above the bar. I think it was in Memphis, back when that town was filled with cutthroats, outlaws, prostitutes and corrupt leaders. I am again relying of my memory, but he records that at the height of the revival, on Sundays, the town was quiet except for the singing in the churches, the bars were closed and even the police officers were in the churches... there was no threat of crimes. I am probably not accurate in some of this but I know that a similar situation did transpire... and it was the result of a hearty movement of the Holy Spirit working peace in the hearts of an entire town.
How I long to see something similar in our day and time. How I wish the bloodshed in Baltimore would cease... or at least dwindle to negligible proportions (except, of course, to the individuals who are shot). What a wonder it would be if a "Christian Consensus" was again established in our broader communities so that we did not have to watch our children like hawks or live in fear of what they might encounter. "Revival" is devoutly to be desired.
Our chapters in 2 Chronicles today describe how such a revival occurred in Judah under the kings Abijah and Asa. We read of the mighty works of God in defeating Jeroboam's vastly superior army by Abijah and an even greater victory over the million man Ethiopian army by Asa. But the major fruit of this time of revival was peace. Abijah only ruled for a few years but Asa ruled for much longer. Asa made it his business to lead Judah into "seeking the Lord" and (15:4) we are told that "He was found by them." The transformation of Judah was such that many in the Northern Kingdom of Israel abandoned their homes there and moved south to join Judah because they saw that the "LORD, (Asa's) God was with him."
Imagine this. Let the mind soak in the implications. A people who "enter into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul" (15:12) are transformed in such a manner that they truly become a light unto the world. The fruits and blessings of revival flow as a spiritual river but produces physical, tangible, beautiful fruit. Those hearts who are trapped in darkness hunger for the good things they see in a people at rest with God. They come, not at first because of the teachings, as important as those are. They come because they want what the People of God have... peace, rest and security (among other things). "...Be ready to give a defense (answer) to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you" Peter tells us (1 Pet. 3:15-16). This is a necessary reminder to us: If we have this "hope", as it truly is, as it is manifested when a revival of religion unleashes it in our souls, then that "hope" will become visible... and attractive. Evangelism will flow from one heart to another as "hope" dominates the personalities and transforms the characters of those who are washed in it.
So it was in Judah under Asa. So it has been in our own country's past. So it can be again.
All it takes is for the people of God to want enough to pray for it and devote themselves to seeking God in everything they do.
Revelation 01: The Object in View
Image: "Rock Solid", 2020, Yellowstone Nat. Pk., Photograph by David Johanson
Revelation 1:1–2 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw.
Revelation 1:7–8 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:12–13 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
Revelation 1:17–18 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
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The Revelation given to John is one of the most intriguing pieces of literature ever written. It challenges us, scares us, stretches our minds, and ultimately, when understood correctly, gives us a great sense of peace and a strengthened will to persevere. All of those things, especially the last, form its basic purpose. This Revelation was given through John to the church in every age (vs. 1 & 11) and is intended to be understood by the church as applying to itself in every age. In other words, the Revelation covers the entire span of human history, from the "First" to the "Last", and it reveals to us that in the very foreground of this vast picture, stands the "Rock" that gives meaning to all the other details of our times. This is Jesus, the One "Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty." (vs. 8)
In this one verse, Jesus proclaims Himself as the central feature in every view of history, whether past, present, or future. That is the "secret" the Revelation makes known. That is why it is the "Revelation of Jesus Christ" (vs. 1) which was given first to Him and which He then made known to His servants, immediate of whom was John the apostle.
Thus the central fact of history is Jesus of Nazareth the Christ of God.
We must be careful to not limit this statement to just His earthly life, death, and resurrection. When Revelation teaches us that Jesus is the central fact of history, it teaches us that every instant of history is about Jesus, either in His pre-incarnate life as the Christ of God in the Old Testament era, or His earthly life, but immediately, His post-resurrection life. This translates to us as understanding our "now!" Our life and history are about Jesus. He is at the center of all things now. He is yet standing, as John first saw Him, in the midst of His Church, registered in its totality by the "visible church" (lamposts) and the "invisible church"(stars) which surround Him in the vision.
There He stands, today as He was to John, in brilliant magnificence, clothed in unimaginable splendor, terrifying in His power and authority, and yet, with wondrous compassion telling us "not to be afraid." (vs. 17) He yet calls to His Church and proclaims the reality behind all things: "I Am Alive Forevermore!"
Here is the patience and courage of the saints. No matter what their "age" or "eon" has in store, whether relative peace and prosperity or struggles seemingly beyond endurance, yet this truth is above all else. He is alive and He is here! It is He has holds the keys of "Hades and of Death." (vs. 18) It is He that is waging war against all the demonic enemies that oppress His people and defile His creation with the "sharp two-edged sword" that is His Word.
He is our "Object in View" through Whom we must gaze at the details of the vistas before us. He is immovable and provides our fortress as well as our place of rest. Without Him in our picture, we will understand nothing. Seeing all things through Him means that we understand all things in their true nature.
This is the Mystery Revealed. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. (vs. 11) We must not be deceived. Whatever is, is about Him!
Posted by Gadfly on April 26, 2021 at 10:04 AM in Christian Apologetics, Church, Commentary, Devotional Meditation, Discipleship, Eschatology, Featured Photographer, Religion, Theology | Permalink | Comments (0)
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