Tag Archives: light

What Is Time?

Teaching, ,

Revelation 1:3: “… The time is at hand.”

The Biblical view of Time embraces the knowledge that Time is synonymous with Light, and, therefore, is a powerful and beautiful symbol of Christ, for Christ is Light.

When we come to the word time in Revelation 1:3, we should not go further in interpretation until we understand the system of time within the larger framework of the writing of the Book of Revelation and of the culture as a whole.  It will not do to skip over to Revelation 20 and speak of millennialism without first dealing with the underlying concept of time.[1]

The Book of Revelation shows Christ in His full, universal, transcendent exaltation, fulfilling His role of Light.  He is not only The Light of the World, but is also The Light of the Universe.  In fact, He is the very Light that proceeded forth from God, the Father of Lights, in the beginning, (Genesis 1:3), by which all things were created and through which all things consist and are united.  Now He is revealed as the Perfection of that Light, Urim ve Thummim, Light and Time. For a proper view of the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, we must see His relationship to time.

What is time?

Time is the signature of Light.  As God is Light, time is His written Name, but just as a name differs from a signature, so the Name of God is greater than the concept of time.[2]

Time is the impress of light upon the physical world.  Time is marked by the turning of the earth in relation to the heavenly lights, creating days and nights, seasons, months, and years. Through this impress of time, we have a likeness by which to speak of the power of God’s Name in the earth, both spiritual and natural.  As we can only speak of spiritual things through some kind of analogy with natural things, so it is the relationship of time to light that furnishes the analog for relating the Name of God to God Himself.

Time is the silent, invisible factor in every calculation that determines the ultimate outcome.

The final judgment of deeds is their result when multiplied by time.[3]  Every true vision of literal reality takes into account the effects of time.  Woe to the soul who lives only for ephemeral pleasures!  Woe to the generation that lives only for the present!  Woe to the nation that has no long-range policies!  The message of the Bible is that Man is an eternal being – one who must weigh every decision in the light of eternal time. Not only “Is it good for me,?” but “Is it good for the coming generations?”

“So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom,” Psalms 90:12.

[1] L. Hicks, “Time”, Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, (IDB) vol.4, (New York, Abingdon Press 1962), 642-9. “More than any other writings, the apocalyptic writings provide material on the concept of time.”

[2] W. F. Albright says that the high gods of ancient times may all be related through the concept of Light.  He gives the names from many cultures of [idol] gods that may be related to Semitic El.  The root meaning of the Indo-European words connect them with heaven through the concept of Light (From Stone Age to Christianity, Garden City, New York, Doubleday, 3rd edition, 1962).

[3] It is no accident that the term for multiplication is ‘times.’

Seven Golden Candlesticks – Part 2

Revelation Commentary, , , , , ,

What did the analogy of the “Seven Golden Candlesticks” mean to the Churches in the first century AD when the Book of Revelation was first written?

Seven Stars as “The Lesser and Greater Sheepfold”[1]

In that region of the world at that time in history, this constellation, Ursa Major, was known as “The Greater Sheepfold” (Seiss, 20, 126-7, 178). The smaller constellation, Ursa Minor, known as the “Lesser, or former, Sheepfold,” hangs upon the pole star and is in the center of the revolutions of the circumpolar stars known as “The Greater Sheepfold.” The Greater Sheepfold therefore encompasses it. This “Lesser Sheepfold” would have represented the original body of Jewish believers from which the Church began. The seven named churches of Asia, (see also Revelation 1:11),[2] therefore represented the “Greater Sheepfold”, i.e., the entire universe of both Gentile and Jewish Christians, the complete Church.

The Heavenly Pattern

The earthly churches are therefore the spiritual counterpart of The Church in the heavenlies, where the Angel of the Church resides. Just as nations have their “Prince,” (as the Prince of Persia and the Prince of Grecia in Daniel 10:13, 20), so the Church has its “Angel,” or Prince, in the heavenlies, which is Christ. The local, earthly counterpart has its “Angel” which is to represent Christ on earth.

The heavenly “Mount Zion” was in Old Testament times represented on earth by the earthly city of Jerusalem. The Psalmist could say: [3])

“Walk about Zion, and go round about her, tell the towers thereof, mark ye well her bulwarks, consider her palaces, that ye may tell it to the generation following. For this God is our God forever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death,” (48:12-14).

Seven Stars as God’s Writing:

In another analogy, the starry heavens are thought of as God’s handwriting.[4] It is therefore appropriate that the scenes of the Book of Revelation are portrayed in the constellations of the night sky.

The Menorah, or seven-branched candlestick that was in the tabernacle and the Temple, was made according to the original pattern given to Moses while he was upon Mt. Sinai, (Exod. 25:31-40; 37:17-20 and Number 8:2-4.). Later David gave to Solomon the plan for the lampstands along with the other plans for the Temple, 1 Chronicles. 28:11-19. All of these plans were those given by God:

“All this he made clear by the writing from the hand of the Lord concerning it, [even] all the work to be done according to the plan.” (1 Chronicles 28:19 RSV).

The “Writing from the hand of the Lord” was that of the starry heavens.

[1] Some Scriptures that show how important this concept was in the Bible are: Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 23:3; 31:10-12; Ezek. 34:10-31; chs. 37 & 38; Mic. 3:12; 4:8; Zech. 9:16; Luke 12:32; John 10:1, 16; Acts 20:28-9; 1 Pet. 5:2-3.

[2] Note that “in Asia” is not in the Greek text of 1:11. The Greek text of 1:4 actually reads: “in the Asia.” See Commentary at 1:4 “Asia”.

[3] For discussion of Pole Star as Mount Zion, see “Satan Cast Down,” my Commentary on Revelation 12:10.

[4] See “Alpha and Omega” Commentary on Revelation 1:8.

 

Revelation: Light Was Conceived In Creation

Revelation Commentary, , , ,

Revelation 1:12: “… and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”

Jesus Firstborn of Creation

Jesus, the Light of the World, was the Firstborn of Creation, Colossians 1:15. So let us paraphrase the creation story to see the account of when Christ was “Firstborn,” Genesis 1:1-3:

“When God began to create [the duality] heaven and earth, [1] the earth was [materially] formlessness, [spatially wandering, rationally mad, intellectually without order, spiritually and visually totally dark], and [virgin] emptiness. Darkness [was the veil that] covered the surface of the [boundless] chaos.

“And the Spirit, [Breath, Wind], moved, [brooded, trembling with loving affection], proceeded to heal her. [In lifting the veil of darkness from her], God said [of this union]: ‘Let Light begin to be.’ And Light [was conceived in her and thus] began to be.”

From Milton’s Paradise Lost

Of this portion of Genesis Milton writes in Paradise Lost as he addressed Christ:

“Hail, holy Light, offspring of Heaven first-born Or of the Eternal Coeternal beam,

May I express thee unblam’d? Since God is Light,

And never but in unapproached Light

Dwelt from eternity, dwelt then in thee

Bright effluence of bright essence increate

Or hear’st thou rather pure ethereal stream,

Whose fountain, who shall tell? before the sun….”[2]

Duality and Unity:

There has been considerable discussion over the supposed duality in Christian religion. Many have declared that the duality did not exist in the Old Testament and that it was totally foreign to the true religion of the Jews. It did not need, however, to be imported as some would have it, from Babylon, or Greece, or Zoroastrianism. Although the duality is not apparent in our English translations, it is apparent in the dual forms of the Biblical Hebrew, even of the first verse of the Bible.

The duality, then, is the source of the possibility of the chaotic conditions of the earth and therefore of evil. It is the reconciliation of earth and heaven and their reunion that brings about the blessings of order and peace. This perfect unity is the source of, as well as the result of, Light. Earth and Heaven are reunited in earth’s conception of Light. In the fullness of time that Light that was conceived in the beginning comes to full maturity in the Perfection of Light, Jesus.

The Prophet Isaiah saw this beautiful truth:

“The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name….And now the Lord says, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, ….he says: ‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.'”(Isaiah 49:1b, 5-6. See also Isaiah 44:24.)

The Divine Cycle

God created duality for the sake of the joy of desire-fulfillment. In Unity all is at rest, therefore, the prime move itself was necessarily an act in contrast, apposition, conflict with the Unity of rest. The act constituted duality itself, and was initiated with the intention of creating duality.

The Bible begins with the rest of divine Unity: God. It can only proceed by and because of an act: Creating. The act is first produced by desire, tôhûw ve bôhûw. Desire creates reunion, marechepheth. Reunion, or resolution of the duality produces an offspring, Light. This circular continuum of Unity, Creation, Duality, Desire Fulfillment, Creation, Reunion is repeated infinitely and infinitesimally and each cycle produces its own peculiar radiance which is an appearance of God, a Revelation. The Revelation of Jesus Christ is the perfect fulfillment of the great cycle of cycles resolving all things to the Great Unity of Divine Rest.

Christ As Both Father And Son

As Light, Christ is the “Everlasting Father” of Isaiah 9:6. The Hebrew is ’âbiy-‘âd, translated by Gesinius as “perpetual father.” Since the word ‘âd means “time,” a possible translation would be “Father of Time.” Christ was both Abraham’s progenitor and Seed, as also He was of David. [Note that the Seed is only activated by Light.]

As Abraham’s seed produced the fleshly Israel, and also Christ according to the flesh, so Christ is the progenitor of the spiritual Israel for it is His bloodline that survived the destruction of the Jewish nation, city, and people in the first century AD. No other Jewish or Israeli bloodline or genealogy survived. As Christ raised and ascended and is alive forevermore, He perpetuates the bloodline of Abraham forever and is the source of the Holy Seed that produces the new birth, bringing sons and daughters into the kingdom and producing, perpetuating, and increasing the spiritual Israel, the Church, the Light of the world, Matthew 5:14.

Manifestation: Revealed Light

Revelation means ‘Perfection of Light.’ While God is unapproachable Light, Christ is revealed light. The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, then, is the written manifestation (that which makes manifest is light), of Jesus Christ and shows Him as the “Perfection of Light.”

The purpose of Light, or Revelation, is to show, (cause to see), and this purpose is the one given for the Book in its title sentence: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass.” This is parallel to the passage from 1 Timothy 6:14b-16, “The appearing [Revelation] of our Lord Jesus Christ: which in His, [referring to God’s], times, [in verse 13], He, [God], shall shew [reveal].”

The Firstborn Light Comes to Perfection in Jesus

The Light that God commanded to be conceived or begun in the beginning waxed brighter and brighter throughout the revealed Scriptures until at last, it reached its perfection in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The whole Bible could rightly be named “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” But while this Light was conceived in the Old Testament, it was at that time hidden, but in the incarnation it was revealed, and in the Spirit it is perfected. Taking this title sentence as the key to the interpretation of the Book, we are required to interpret its symbols as symbols of Light.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” LIGHT!

This lesson is an edited excerpt from my book, Revelation in Context, available locally at the Living Word Bookstore in Shawnee, Oklahoma or www.Amazon.com, or www.XulonPress.com.
Free downloads are also available at www.revelationincontext.sermon.net.

Revelation As Light – Manifestation

Revelation Commentary, ,
Revelation 1:16: “… And His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”
Manifestation:

The book of Revelation is not so much a message as a manifestation, and that manifestation is the Light of God, the Urim ve Thummim for the direction of His people: “…a Light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of His people, Israel.”

Taken separately, the literal meaning of Urim is ‘Lights” and the literal meaning of Thummim is ‘Perfections.’  Taken together they have the meaning of ‘Revelation,’  ‘Perfection of Light,’ and ‘Revelation and Truth.’

In the beginning God said: “Let there be Light” and in the last book of God’s revealed Word we find that Light has come to perfection, Perfection of God’s Will, and the inevitable outcome of His Word of power.  The most fitting title possible for the final Book of Scripture is Tammim, (a variant form of Thummim), “perfection, completion and fullness.”  The Book itself declares that the Revelation is complete when it pronounces a curse upon anyone adding or taking from the words of the Book.

Symbols of Light as Literary Conventions:

There are several ways in which symbols of light are used in the book to reveal Christ.  These symbols are used according to the literary conventions already established in the canonical literature including both Old and New Testaments.  The book of Beginnings, Genesis, starts with the revelation of the Secret of Light:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  And the earth was without form, and void; And darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  And God said, Let there be Light: and there was Light.” -Genesis 1:1-3 KJV.

The Gospel of John starts from this same beginning point:

(1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) The same was in the beginning with God.  (3) All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. (4) In Him was Life: and the Life was the Light of men.  (5) And the Light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 

(6)There was a man sent from God whose name was John.  (7) The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through Him might believe. (8) He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  (9) That was the true Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.  (10) He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew Him not.  (11) He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.  (12) But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: (13) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  (14) And the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us, (And we beheld His glory, [beautiful Light], the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”  John 1:1-14.

Jesus Claimed to be this Light of the World:

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life,” John 8:12.

“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world,” John 9:5.

“Then Jesus said unto them.  ‘Yet a little while is the Light with you.  Walk while ye have the Light, lest darkness come upon you:  for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.  While ye have Light, believe in the Light, that ye may be the children of Light.’  These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide Himself from them.”  John 12:35-6.

God is Light:

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life; (For the Life was manifested, [revealed, brought to light], and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that Eternal Life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us:)…This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all.“  1 John 1:1, 2, 5.

Revelation was to show [reveal] Christ as the King of Kings:

“…until the appearing [Revelation] of our Lord Jesus Christ: which in His times He shall shew [Reveal], Who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the Light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see; to Whom be honour and power everlasting.  Amen.”  (1 Timothy 6:14b-16.)

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning,”  James 1:17.

Next: Revelation: Light Was Conceived In Creation

This lesson is an edited excerpt from my book, Revelation in Context, available locally at the Living Word Bookstore in Shawnee, Oklahoma or www.Amazon.com, or www.XulonPress.com.
Free downloads are also available at www.revelationincontext.sermon.net.

Visions of The Exalted Christ Part 2

Revelation Commentary, , , ,

Revelaton 1:11-20

IMAGES

In receiving the Visions of the Book of Revelation, we must be cautioned against concrete images of God for these were forbidden by the second commandment. There was ever, in the writings of the Old Testament, a care taken not to give the manifestation of God a form which could be taken for an idol. The fact cannot be overemphasized that God is a Spirit and therefore cannot be confined to any form. When God revealed Himself in a visible form, according to the Scriptures, He revealed Himself in mediums of Light which, while visible, could never be taken as an idol-form neither could it be made by the works of men’s hands. We may safely say that God is always revealed in some form of light and there is no other visible form in which He has revealed Himself.

Those revelations of light included color, reflections, and luminous displays such as that of fire, smoke, or shaped light such as the rainbow or the shining of precious jewels or the glow of precious metals. This manifestation of light in which God shewed Himself was His visible “glory.” (His glory, however, was also manifest in other than visible forms, for example, the audible Voice.)

Before sin brought about the necessity of the veil, God walked with Adam in an open way, but afterwards He only revealed His Light, or His “glory,” which might also be interpreted as His garment. Repeatedly we are told that no man hath seen God. Moses prayed: “I beseech thee, shew me thy glory,” (Exodus. 34:18), for he was afraid to ‘see God’ for it meant certain death. How marvelous it is when God breaks through the veil of our doubting flesh to shew us His glory. This Christ did in the Revelation, for He is “the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person.” (Hebrews 1:3)

Appearances of God in Light:

When God appeared to the seventy elders of Israel along with Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, they “saw the God of heaven” but amazingly, He is not described! Rather, the surrounding light is described: “There was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.” (Exodus 24:10)

Again, when Isaiah saw his wonderful vision, he, too, hesitates to describe the Lord Himself. He says:
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory…for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” (Isaiah 6:1-3, 5d)

We marvel that the prophet evades the central subject of the vision and describes the surrounding scene instead!

Ezekiel’s Visions

Ezekiel also says: “As I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, …the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.” (Ezekiel 1:1) He gives a lengthy description of the scene but when he describes the central figure it is in terms of light:
“And above the firmament over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire, and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness as it were of a human form. And upward from what had the appearance of his loins I saw as it were gleaming bronze, like the appearance of fire enclosed round about; and downward from what had the appearance of his loins I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness round about him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.” (Ezekiel 1:26-28, RSV)

In Ezekiel 8 he again describes the vision of God:
“A likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire: from the appearance of his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.”

Then in chapter 40 he simply states that: “Behold, there was a Man, whose appearance was like the appearance of brass.” Brass is known for its glow.

Daniel’s Vision of God

When Daniel saw the Ancient of Days, he could but describe the light and colour:
“Whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him:” (Daniel 7:9-10)

Here the only thing not described as pure light is that his hair was like the pure wool. Although we might visualize the texture of the wool or its warmth, the writer here, in this context, no doubt had the whiteness of wool in mind, the colour or glow.

Next: Visions of God Part 3

This lesson is an edited excerpt from my book, Revelation in Context, available locally at the Living Word Bookstore in Shawnee, Oklahoma or www.Amazon.com, or www.XulonPress.com.
Free downloads are also available at www.revelationincontext.sermon.net.