Post by king neb on Nov 17, 2005 13:37:46 GMT -5
Well, since we are back on to talking Theology, I thought some of you might find this article interesting. Mike (my boss) just called me about 30 minutes ago from the Evangelical Theological Society meeting up in Valley Forge. He had just left a lecture given by Warren Austin Gage who is the Assistant Professor of Old Testament over at Knox Theological Seminary. What was so exciting for Mike was that we are currently studying ‘The Revelation’ on Wed. night using James Jordan and G.K. Beale and the approach by Gage is similar to our approach, in that we seek definitions for the symbols, patterns, words, etc., from John’s Scriptures, the Old Testament. So many Christians today turn on CNN or Fox News to look for explanations versus turning to the Scriptures. Even among Postmillennial writers, (including myself in the past) there is a tendency to lean on Josephus for explanations to certain events. James Jordan starts off his Revelation series by pointing out that the biggest problem with folks today in attempting to understand ‘the Revelation’ (and I would add, the whole NT for that matter) is that we simply do not know the OT. And this problem is not helped when we hear quotes from men like John MacArthur stating, “I was not called to preach the Old Testament.”
Below is the article presented by Gage that had Mike all smiley and stuff, which then led to Mike asking Dr. Gage why this would not lead to the interpretation that 1st century Jerusalem was ‘Babylon’, to which Dr. Gage replied something to the effect, ‘Absolutely it is – that is pretty obvious.’
Here is the link to the site which contains the rest of the series:
www.knoxseminary.org/Prospective/Faculty/FacultyForum then click on John-Revelation Project.
The first part of this is the introduction to the series, the second part was the lecture delivered today up in PA.
_____
At the beginning of the 21st century virtually the entire American evangelical community has been captured by a dispensational, pretribulational, and premillennial eschatology. Best-selling book series and sensational movies, reinforced by endless radio talk programs, promote these fantastic interpretations of biblical prophecy as events coming to pass in our generation.
Unfortunately, the response of the Reformed church to this, thus far, one-sided discussion has been to caution that fantastic interpretations of biblical prophecy, especially concerning the book of Revelation, should be skeptically received. But it should be frankly admitted that we have not offered what we could credibly claim is a defensible interpretation of the last book in the canon.
This faculty forum is an attempt to rectify this omission-a deficiency that we must recognize represents a sinful omission in our Reformed history. While the Westminster Confession clearly states that the Book of Revelation is to be received according "to the rule of faith and life" (WCF, chap. 1, para. 2), we have not given John's Revelation an equal dignity with the rest of sacred scripture. This neglect is demonstrated in the paucity of exegetical attention the book has been accorded from Reformed exegetes. We have consequently treated the Apocalypse as though it were almost an apocryphal document. And although we have silently recognized that its meaning was largely veiled to us, we have not cried out as a community to the Holy Spirit of God to illumine its message to our hearts. This omission is again largely due to our history. It is instructive that Martin Luther questioned the canonicity of Revelation, lamenting that a "Revelation" should reveal; and John Calvin, who commented on every other book of the Bible, glaringly omitted commentary on the Apocalypse. The children of the Reformers have fared little better.1 And it is time to ask why?
The answer to this question, we believe, is suggested once we recognize the genre of Revelation as classically understood. The literary pattern of a trajectory leading from darkness to light, from a damsel's despair to a hero's victory celebrated at last by a royal wedding procession (komos), is comedy. Now, perhaps, we can understand the failure of the Reformed church to address Revelation in any adequate fashion. It is due to our history. Perhaps we must also confess it is due to our sin. For it was our Puritan forebears who closed down the Elizabethan theater, fearing the nature of the theatre to explore the comedic imagination, which was suspected (especially in Shakespeare!) of undermining good morals. Consequently, as a community, we Reformed folk have been skeptical of the poetic imagination. We have unknowingly but nonetheless actually shut down one of the most fundamental gestures of the soul in so doing. And we have lost the splendor of the mundus imaginalis, the wonderment and sheer joy of the soul that is our true entrée into the Apocalypse, John's glorious vision of the beauty of the Son of Man.
The following papers from the Faculty Forum represent the ongoing project of Knox Seminary to articulate an understanding of Revelation through a lectionary reading of the Apocalypse and the Fourth Gospel and by an awareness of the overwhelmingly typological character of Johannine literature. We invite the participation of our students and the Christian community at large as we undertake this exciting study!
Biblical Typology:
A Neglected Key to John's Revelation?
Introduction
Like an elaborately detailed oriental tapestry, John's Gospel and Revelation are intricately interwoven to present a composite picture, epic in scope and immortal in theme. Elaborate patterns portray the marvel and mystery of the heavenly Son of God who leaves the riches of His Father's court in quest of an earthly bride and a heavenly kingdom. The Gospel opens with the Spirit descending out of heaven like a dove upon the Son of Man. Revelation ends with the bride of Christ descending out of heaven, made ready for her Groom, and adorned in all the graces of the Spirit.
Together these books celebrate a love that spans time and eternity. We begin with the love of the Father for His Son before the foundation of the world. We survey all the ages, coming at last to the victorious wedding supper of the Lamb and the love of the bride for her Husband at the beginning of eternity future. The Gospel of the Bridegroom begins in a wilderness, but the bride of Revelation is brought at last to a pleasant garden. The darkness that struggled to overcome the Light has now been banished forever. Eternal dawn shines forth, unobscured, clear, and golden. The stones gathered of old by the banks of the Jordan are seen in this Light, by the banks of the river of crystal, to have been built into a vast city of glittering gems. And the bride is lovely in this Light. She is made ready for her Groom arrayed in the finest linen of heaven, white and pure. But as we admire her beauty, we remember that she can be dressed in white only because her Groom's robe was dyed in deepest red.
John the Beloved weaves together his two great books using elaborate parallel, chiastic, and typological patterns.3 The two great works thus interpret and complete one another. Taken together, the Fourth Gospel and Revelation constitute a literary diptych, a picture whose temporal framework spans the beginning of the first creation (John 1:1), all the way to the vision of the new creation at the beginning of eternity future (Rev 21:1). Moreover, the two books of John offer a spatial horizon depicting the creative struggle of Jesus both from the perspective of earth (John) and of heaven (Revelation). Upon this wholly comprehensive canvas, John depicts Jesus' epic struggle as the typological fulfillment of all of the major figures in the OT.
Jesus as the New Joshua in the Gospel and in the Revelation
The Fourth Gospel's Joshua typology largely tracks the account of the conquest of Canaan, beginning with the crossing of the Jordan and depicting two campaigns, one in the south (Judea) and one in the north (Galilee). The climactic battle involves the struggle of Jesus as the True Joshua against the confederated enemies of God, led by Jerusalem. This epic struggle occurs, from one perspective, on earth, depicted in the Gospel of John. Revelation portrays the same struggle from the perspective of heaven.4 In fact, Revelation offers a mimetic portrayal of the heavenly significance of Christ's earthly ministry in conflict with the Old Jerusalem, the history described for us in the Fourth Gospel.
We begin our discussion of the typological patterns connecting the Book of Joshua and the Book of Revelation by recounting the warfare of Joshua as recorded in the OT. We will then consider the restatement of that conflict in the Apocalypse. In order to show the pattern of verbal concordance between the books of Joshua and Revelation, we will use bold type to identify significant words that share the same Greek root in the LXX and in the Greek NT.5 Words that are related thematically, but not lexically, will be shown in italic type. The reader should observe the striking pattern of details and the thorough comprehensiveness of these correspondence patterns between the two books.
Joshua's Battle Against Jericho:
The Story of a sleeper Who Becomes a Bride
The name of the great city "Jericho" brings to mind the greatest single battle recorded in the Old Testament. After crossing the Jordan and entering the land of promise, Joshua and all Israel camped in Gilgal.6 Joshua erected twelve stones taken from the riverbed as a memorial to represent the twelve tribes of Israel who crossed the river in safety. The Jordan crossing reminded the Israelites of their fathers, those who crossed the Red Sea after they were delivered from pharaoh, whereupon they sang the song of Moses (Exod 15:1-19, Josh 4:19-24).
But the great city Jericho was walled up to heaven (Deut 9:1), defying Joshua and the armies of Israel. This impassable city represented the decisive struggle of the people of God against the nations of Canaan. In order to inherit the paradisiacal land flowing with milk and honey, and to receive their inheritance by their tribes (Josh 18:3-10), as promised in the book of seven parts (18:9), Israel would have to destroy Jericho. But what was this inviolable city to Joshua, who could command the sun and the moon to cease in their courses that the day of slaughter might not end (10:12-14), and whose God could rain giant hailstones from heaven upon the armies of the Canaanite kings (10:11)?
This fortress city of Jericho, in the plain of the Jordan, was filled with great wealth. Her treasures included silver and gold, articles of bronze and iron (6:19), linen (2:6), and scarlet (2:18). Jericho evidently sustained a commercial relationship with Shinar. Among her many treasures was the beautiful Babylonian garment7 that was to prove so tempting to Achan (7:21). Jericho was an impregnable fortress town, whose fall before Joshua would cause the kings of Canaan to fear the God of the armies of Israel (9:1-3, 24; 10:1-4).
Joshua initiated the conquest of Jericho by sending two spies to view the land and the city (2:1). But the presence of the spies was reported to the king of Jericho, who sought to kill them (2:2, 14). Attempting to escape the king, the spies turned into the house of Rahab, a sleeper of Jericho identified by her scarlet cord (2:18), whose house was evidently open to strangers (2:1). Rahab protected the spies, whom she could have delivered over to death (2:14).
The battle of Jericho began with Joshua's unexpected vision of a divine Man. Having sanctified all Israel from uncleanness caused by their neglect of covenant circumcision, Joshua was contemplating holy war against Jericho (5:1-12). As he lifted up his eyes, he saw a divine Man standing with His sword drawn for battle. Joshua fell before the Man and was told to remove his sandals from his feet (5:14-15).
The battle began as Joshua directed the campaign against Jericho. He commanded the people to circle the city once a day for seven days and seven times upon the seventh day (6:3-4).8 On the seventh day, Joshua arose early in the morning (6:12). He caused the priests carrying the ark of the covenant to sound seven trumpets of judgment before the city. Then he commanded all the people to shout out against her (6:8,20). Suddenly the walls of the wicked city fell (6:20). All those who remained in Jericho were put to the sword, and the city was burned with fire (6:21,24).
But Rahab the sleeper was delivered along with all her house. She came out of the city in safety because she had obeyed the word of the two spies (6:25). According to Matthew, Rahab became the bride of Salmon, who was of the royal tribe of Judah. Through this marriage the Gentile sleeper of Jericho became an ancestress of Jesus the Messiah, the True Joshua (Matt 1:5-16)!
Jesus' Battle Against Babylon in Revelation:
The Story of the True Joshua, and
a sleeper Who Becomes a Bride
The name of the great city "Babylon" brings to mind the greatest battle depicted in the New Testament. The sins of Great Babylon reached up to heaven (Rev 18:5), an affront to the God of all the earth. This mighty city represented the decisive struggle of the Lord Jesus against the unrepentant of earth. Babylon must be destroyed for the people of God to inherit the paradise of God (21:1-5), and receive their distribution by their tribes (21:12), as the fulfillment of the book of seven seals (5:1). But what is this great city to Jesus, the True Joshua, whose own light causes the sun and the moon to cease (21:23), and whose God will rain great hailstones from heaven down upon Babylon (16:19-21)?
Babylon was a city filled with great wealth. Her treasures included gold and silver, bronze, iron, linen, and scarlet (18:12-13). In the city lived a woman arrayed in an alluring Babylonian garment of scarlet and purple (17:4).9 The fall of this great city before Jesus would cause the kings of the earth to fear and mourn (18:9-10).10
Now the Lord sent two witnesses into the wicked city (11:3-12), but the nations sought to kill them (11:7). Nevertheless, they were delivered from death in the sight of their enemies (11:12). Dwelling in the great city was a sleeper identified by her scarlet (17:3-5), who committed fornication with the kings of the earth (18:3). The sleeper had the power of death over the saints of God (17:6).
Jesus' battle against Babylon began with John the Apostle's unexpected vision of a divine Man (1:12-19). The True Joshua appeared with a sword proceeding out of His mouth (1:16). He commanded John to write seven letters to His churches, calling them to purity for holy war (2:1-3:22). John fell before the feet of the Man as though dead (1:17).
The battle began and Jesus directed the campaign against Babylon. He opened the book of seven seals (5:1), the seventh seal becoming seven trumpets of judgment (8:1-2). As the seventh trumpet sounded (11:15), the ark of the covenant appeared in heaven (11:19), and there were loud voices in heaven crying out, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ!" (11:15). In one hour Great Babylon, the wicked city fell (18:2). All the city was burned with fire (18:8).
But a voice had cried out before Babylon, "Come out of her my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you partake of her plagues." (18:4).11 And so some of those who had belonged to the whorish city were delivered from death, even those who had obeyed the word of the two witnesses.
And all of those who were delivered from their fornications and adultery became a part of the city of the true Israel of God, the New Jerusalem, the bride of the Royal Lion of Judah, Yeshua, the True Joshua (21:2). And to memorialize their safe passage to the paradise of their inheritance, Jesus gave them a city of twelve precious stones by the river of crystal waters, even to all of those who had been delivered from the beast and had come safely across the sea of glass, all who sang the Song of Moses nd the Lamb (15:1-4).
Conclusion
This glorious message of hope for those so desperately lost is the heart of the teaching of the Son of God. It is the crux of His gospel message. The Lord Jesus has come to this world's Jerichos to rescue His Rahabs and to deliver His Zacchaeuses, all those harlots and publicans who, like their predecessors who sought the repentance of John the Baptist (Matt 21:31-32), would dare to imagine that the love of a holy God could reach down far enough to deliver them.
The True Joshua requires a new army to fill His pulpits with those who will once again learn to be strong and very courageous (Josh 1:7), an army of poets and songwriters who will sound again the gospel's silver trumpets before the walls of this world's Jerichos—trumpets announcing a terrible judgment to the unrepentant, but trumpets sounding a wonderful jubilee to all those who, like Rahab, will forsake their sins.
We need a new army. An army of those with strong imaginations. Imaginations courageous enough in the knowledge of the free grace of God to believe that a sleeper from Babylon could in truth become the bride of Christ. Imaginations that hear so scandalous a message and can believe it is not blasphemy.
Imaginations that can envision the depths of their own sin, and so recognize that this scandalous message is the gospel's very truth.
We need a new sword for the battle. A sword of the Word, awakened from dogmatic slumbers and fashioned in the fiery foundry of metaphor. Just like Milton, who knew that the power of poetry would prove at last to be more compelling than all the armies of Cromwell, we need a new and more poetic restatement of these ancient truths. We need a new sounding of the old gospel of Paul and the apostles, faithfully transmitted through Augustinian Catholicism and Reformed Calvinism—under no illusions about either the nature of man or the power of God in the gospel.
We must, however, sound a more certain sound upon the trumpets of truth. A more biblical sound. We should present the gospel in its native dress—a bridal dress, in the metaphor of an eastern wedding. Our tale is the story of a heavenly romance. It tells of a love that begins in the heart of Father God, who unconditionally chose a bride in grace, one who would be suitable for His beloved Son. It is a drama about a bride whose unfaithfulness made her totally unfit and utterly unworthy of that Son. It speaks of the steadfast love of the Son, who nonetheless paid a great dowry price for her in confidence that she would return His love. It tells of the Spirit, whose love irresistibly wooed the betrothed back to a pure love for the Son. And it promises the hope of a heavenly and everlasting love, a faith that enables Jesus' betrothed to persevere unto the glorious day of her redemption, when she will descend from heaven as a bride, having made herself ready for the Prince of Glory.
Below is the article presented by Gage that had Mike all smiley and stuff, which then led to Mike asking Dr. Gage why this would not lead to the interpretation that 1st century Jerusalem was ‘Babylon’, to which Dr. Gage replied something to the effect, ‘Absolutely it is – that is pretty obvious.’
Here is the link to the site which contains the rest of the series:
www.knoxseminary.org/Prospective/Faculty/FacultyForum then click on John-Revelation Project.
The first part of this is the introduction to the series, the second part was the lecture delivered today up in PA.
_____
At the beginning of the 21st century virtually the entire American evangelical community has been captured by a dispensational, pretribulational, and premillennial eschatology. Best-selling book series and sensational movies, reinforced by endless radio talk programs, promote these fantastic interpretations of biblical prophecy as events coming to pass in our generation.
Unfortunately, the response of the Reformed church to this, thus far, one-sided discussion has been to caution that fantastic interpretations of biblical prophecy, especially concerning the book of Revelation, should be skeptically received. But it should be frankly admitted that we have not offered what we could credibly claim is a defensible interpretation of the last book in the canon.
This faculty forum is an attempt to rectify this omission-a deficiency that we must recognize represents a sinful omission in our Reformed history. While the Westminster Confession clearly states that the Book of Revelation is to be received according "to the rule of faith and life" (WCF, chap. 1, para. 2), we have not given John's Revelation an equal dignity with the rest of sacred scripture. This neglect is demonstrated in the paucity of exegetical attention the book has been accorded from Reformed exegetes. We have consequently treated the Apocalypse as though it were almost an apocryphal document. And although we have silently recognized that its meaning was largely veiled to us, we have not cried out as a community to the Holy Spirit of God to illumine its message to our hearts. This omission is again largely due to our history. It is instructive that Martin Luther questioned the canonicity of Revelation, lamenting that a "Revelation" should reveal; and John Calvin, who commented on every other book of the Bible, glaringly omitted commentary on the Apocalypse. The children of the Reformers have fared little better.1 And it is time to ask why?
The answer to this question, we believe, is suggested once we recognize the genre of Revelation as classically understood. The literary pattern of a trajectory leading from darkness to light, from a damsel's despair to a hero's victory celebrated at last by a royal wedding procession (komos), is comedy. Now, perhaps, we can understand the failure of the Reformed church to address Revelation in any adequate fashion. It is due to our history. Perhaps we must also confess it is due to our sin. For it was our Puritan forebears who closed down the Elizabethan theater, fearing the nature of the theatre to explore the comedic imagination, which was suspected (especially in Shakespeare!) of undermining good morals. Consequently, as a community, we Reformed folk have been skeptical of the poetic imagination. We have unknowingly but nonetheless actually shut down one of the most fundamental gestures of the soul in so doing. And we have lost the splendor of the mundus imaginalis, the wonderment and sheer joy of the soul that is our true entrée into the Apocalypse, John's glorious vision of the beauty of the Son of Man.
The following papers from the Faculty Forum represent the ongoing project of Knox Seminary to articulate an understanding of Revelation through a lectionary reading of the Apocalypse and the Fourth Gospel and by an awareness of the overwhelmingly typological character of Johannine literature. We invite the participation of our students and the Christian community at large as we undertake this exciting study!
Biblical Typology:
A Neglected Key to John's Revelation?
Introduction
Like an elaborately detailed oriental tapestry, John's Gospel and Revelation are intricately interwoven to present a composite picture, epic in scope and immortal in theme. Elaborate patterns portray the marvel and mystery of the heavenly Son of God who leaves the riches of His Father's court in quest of an earthly bride and a heavenly kingdom. The Gospel opens with the Spirit descending out of heaven like a dove upon the Son of Man. Revelation ends with the bride of Christ descending out of heaven, made ready for her Groom, and adorned in all the graces of the Spirit.
Together these books celebrate a love that spans time and eternity. We begin with the love of the Father for His Son before the foundation of the world. We survey all the ages, coming at last to the victorious wedding supper of the Lamb and the love of the bride for her Husband at the beginning of eternity future. The Gospel of the Bridegroom begins in a wilderness, but the bride of Revelation is brought at last to a pleasant garden. The darkness that struggled to overcome the Light has now been banished forever. Eternal dawn shines forth, unobscured, clear, and golden. The stones gathered of old by the banks of the Jordan are seen in this Light, by the banks of the river of crystal, to have been built into a vast city of glittering gems. And the bride is lovely in this Light. She is made ready for her Groom arrayed in the finest linen of heaven, white and pure. But as we admire her beauty, we remember that she can be dressed in white only because her Groom's robe was dyed in deepest red.
John the Beloved weaves together his two great books using elaborate parallel, chiastic, and typological patterns.3 The two great works thus interpret and complete one another. Taken together, the Fourth Gospel and Revelation constitute a literary diptych, a picture whose temporal framework spans the beginning of the first creation (John 1:1), all the way to the vision of the new creation at the beginning of eternity future (Rev 21:1). Moreover, the two books of John offer a spatial horizon depicting the creative struggle of Jesus both from the perspective of earth (John) and of heaven (Revelation). Upon this wholly comprehensive canvas, John depicts Jesus' epic struggle as the typological fulfillment of all of the major figures in the OT.
Jesus as the New Joshua in the Gospel and in the Revelation
The Fourth Gospel's Joshua typology largely tracks the account of the conquest of Canaan, beginning with the crossing of the Jordan and depicting two campaigns, one in the south (Judea) and one in the north (Galilee). The climactic battle involves the struggle of Jesus as the True Joshua against the confederated enemies of God, led by Jerusalem. This epic struggle occurs, from one perspective, on earth, depicted in the Gospel of John. Revelation portrays the same struggle from the perspective of heaven.4 In fact, Revelation offers a mimetic portrayal of the heavenly significance of Christ's earthly ministry in conflict with the Old Jerusalem, the history described for us in the Fourth Gospel.
We begin our discussion of the typological patterns connecting the Book of Joshua and the Book of Revelation by recounting the warfare of Joshua as recorded in the OT. We will then consider the restatement of that conflict in the Apocalypse. In order to show the pattern of verbal concordance between the books of Joshua and Revelation, we will use bold type to identify significant words that share the same Greek root in the LXX and in the Greek NT.5 Words that are related thematically, but not lexically, will be shown in italic type. The reader should observe the striking pattern of details and the thorough comprehensiveness of these correspondence patterns between the two books.
Joshua's Battle Against Jericho:
The Story of a sleeper Who Becomes a Bride
The name of the great city "Jericho" brings to mind the greatest single battle recorded in the Old Testament. After crossing the Jordan and entering the land of promise, Joshua and all Israel camped in Gilgal.6 Joshua erected twelve stones taken from the riverbed as a memorial to represent the twelve tribes of Israel who crossed the river in safety. The Jordan crossing reminded the Israelites of their fathers, those who crossed the Red Sea after they were delivered from pharaoh, whereupon they sang the song of Moses (Exod 15:1-19, Josh 4:19-24).
But the great city Jericho was walled up to heaven (Deut 9:1), defying Joshua and the armies of Israel. This impassable city represented the decisive struggle of the people of God against the nations of Canaan. In order to inherit the paradisiacal land flowing with milk and honey, and to receive their inheritance by their tribes (Josh 18:3-10), as promised in the book of seven parts (18:9), Israel would have to destroy Jericho. But what was this inviolable city to Joshua, who could command the sun and the moon to cease in their courses that the day of slaughter might not end (10:12-14), and whose God could rain giant hailstones from heaven upon the armies of the Canaanite kings (10:11)?
This fortress city of Jericho, in the plain of the Jordan, was filled with great wealth. Her treasures included silver and gold, articles of bronze and iron (6:19), linen (2:6), and scarlet (2:18). Jericho evidently sustained a commercial relationship with Shinar. Among her many treasures was the beautiful Babylonian garment7 that was to prove so tempting to Achan (7:21). Jericho was an impregnable fortress town, whose fall before Joshua would cause the kings of Canaan to fear the God of the armies of Israel (9:1-3, 24; 10:1-4).
Joshua initiated the conquest of Jericho by sending two spies to view the land and the city (2:1). But the presence of the spies was reported to the king of Jericho, who sought to kill them (2:2, 14). Attempting to escape the king, the spies turned into the house of Rahab, a sleeper of Jericho identified by her scarlet cord (2:18), whose house was evidently open to strangers (2:1). Rahab protected the spies, whom she could have delivered over to death (2:14).
The battle of Jericho began with Joshua's unexpected vision of a divine Man. Having sanctified all Israel from uncleanness caused by their neglect of covenant circumcision, Joshua was contemplating holy war against Jericho (5:1-12). As he lifted up his eyes, he saw a divine Man standing with His sword drawn for battle. Joshua fell before the Man and was told to remove his sandals from his feet (5:14-15).
The battle began as Joshua directed the campaign against Jericho. He commanded the people to circle the city once a day for seven days and seven times upon the seventh day (6:3-4).8 On the seventh day, Joshua arose early in the morning (6:12). He caused the priests carrying the ark of the covenant to sound seven trumpets of judgment before the city. Then he commanded all the people to shout out against her (6:8,20). Suddenly the walls of the wicked city fell (6:20). All those who remained in Jericho were put to the sword, and the city was burned with fire (6:21,24).
But Rahab the sleeper was delivered along with all her house. She came out of the city in safety because she had obeyed the word of the two spies (6:25). According to Matthew, Rahab became the bride of Salmon, who was of the royal tribe of Judah. Through this marriage the Gentile sleeper of Jericho became an ancestress of Jesus the Messiah, the True Joshua (Matt 1:5-16)!
Jesus' Battle Against Babylon in Revelation:
The Story of the True Joshua, and
a sleeper Who Becomes a Bride
The name of the great city "Babylon" brings to mind the greatest battle depicted in the New Testament. The sins of Great Babylon reached up to heaven (Rev 18:5), an affront to the God of all the earth. This mighty city represented the decisive struggle of the Lord Jesus against the unrepentant of earth. Babylon must be destroyed for the people of God to inherit the paradise of God (21:1-5), and receive their distribution by their tribes (21:12), as the fulfillment of the book of seven seals (5:1). But what is this great city to Jesus, the True Joshua, whose own light causes the sun and the moon to cease (21:23), and whose God will rain great hailstones from heaven down upon Babylon (16:19-21)?
Babylon was a city filled with great wealth. Her treasures included gold and silver, bronze, iron, linen, and scarlet (18:12-13). In the city lived a woman arrayed in an alluring Babylonian garment of scarlet and purple (17:4).9 The fall of this great city before Jesus would cause the kings of the earth to fear and mourn (18:9-10).10
Now the Lord sent two witnesses into the wicked city (11:3-12), but the nations sought to kill them (11:7). Nevertheless, they were delivered from death in the sight of their enemies (11:12). Dwelling in the great city was a sleeper identified by her scarlet (17:3-5), who committed fornication with the kings of the earth (18:3). The sleeper had the power of death over the saints of God (17:6).
Jesus' battle against Babylon began with John the Apostle's unexpected vision of a divine Man (1:12-19). The True Joshua appeared with a sword proceeding out of His mouth (1:16). He commanded John to write seven letters to His churches, calling them to purity for holy war (2:1-3:22). John fell before the feet of the Man as though dead (1:17).
The battle began and Jesus directed the campaign against Babylon. He opened the book of seven seals (5:1), the seventh seal becoming seven trumpets of judgment (8:1-2). As the seventh trumpet sounded (11:15), the ark of the covenant appeared in heaven (11:19), and there were loud voices in heaven crying out, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ!" (11:15). In one hour Great Babylon, the wicked city fell (18:2). All the city was burned with fire (18:8).
But a voice had cried out before Babylon, "Come out of her my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you partake of her plagues." (18:4).11 And so some of those who had belonged to the whorish city were delivered from death, even those who had obeyed the word of the two witnesses.
And all of those who were delivered from their fornications and adultery became a part of the city of the true Israel of God, the New Jerusalem, the bride of the Royal Lion of Judah, Yeshua, the True Joshua (21:2). And to memorialize their safe passage to the paradise of their inheritance, Jesus gave them a city of twelve precious stones by the river of crystal waters, even to all of those who had been delivered from the beast and had come safely across the sea of glass, all who sang the Song of Moses nd the Lamb (15:1-4).
Conclusion
This glorious message of hope for those so desperately lost is the heart of the teaching of the Son of God. It is the crux of His gospel message. The Lord Jesus has come to this world's Jerichos to rescue His Rahabs and to deliver His Zacchaeuses, all those harlots and publicans who, like their predecessors who sought the repentance of John the Baptist (Matt 21:31-32), would dare to imagine that the love of a holy God could reach down far enough to deliver them.
The True Joshua requires a new army to fill His pulpits with those who will once again learn to be strong and very courageous (Josh 1:7), an army of poets and songwriters who will sound again the gospel's silver trumpets before the walls of this world's Jerichos—trumpets announcing a terrible judgment to the unrepentant, but trumpets sounding a wonderful jubilee to all those who, like Rahab, will forsake their sins.
We need a new army. An army of those with strong imaginations. Imaginations courageous enough in the knowledge of the free grace of God to believe that a sleeper from Babylon could in truth become the bride of Christ. Imaginations that hear so scandalous a message and can believe it is not blasphemy.
Imaginations that can envision the depths of their own sin, and so recognize that this scandalous message is the gospel's very truth.
We need a new sword for the battle. A sword of the Word, awakened from dogmatic slumbers and fashioned in the fiery foundry of metaphor. Just like Milton, who knew that the power of poetry would prove at last to be more compelling than all the armies of Cromwell, we need a new and more poetic restatement of these ancient truths. We need a new sounding of the old gospel of Paul and the apostles, faithfully transmitted through Augustinian Catholicism and Reformed Calvinism—under no illusions about either the nature of man or the power of God in the gospel.
We must, however, sound a more certain sound upon the trumpets of truth. A more biblical sound. We should present the gospel in its native dress—a bridal dress, in the metaphor of an eastern wedding. Our tale is the story of a heavenly romance. It tells of a love that begins in the heart of Father God, who unconditionally chose a bride in grace, one who would be suitable for His beloved Son. It is a drama about a bride whose unfaithfulness made her totally unfit and utterly unworthy of that Son. It speaks of the steadfast love of the Son, who nonetheless paid a great dowry price for her in confidence that she would return His love. It tells of the Spirit, whose love irresistibly wooed the betrothed back to a pure love for the Son. And it promises the hope of a heavenly and everlasting love, a faith that enables Jesus' betrothed to persevere unto the glorious day of her redemption, when she will descend from heaven as a bride, having made herself ready for the Prince of Glory.
