What We Are Really Up Against – Time To Get the Big Picture

May 4, 2019 by

by Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch:

Most people do not think ahead, do not look at the big picture, and do not consider the long-term. Most at best are only thinking ahead to what they will have for dinner, or what fun they will get up to on the weekend. Sadly many Christians can be included in this myopia and lack of vision. I already wrote about this in terms of the culture wars: billmuehlenberg.com/2016/04/18/big-picture-long-term/

Here I want to discuss this in terms of the mega-spiritual struggle we are all involved in. Most Christians are aware of the “world” and the “world-system” and how this opposes Christian values and beliefs. But when we turn to the book of Revelation we find a number of terms and concepts which also deal with all this.

We read about Babylon, or mystery Babylon, about various beasts, about various women, including Jezebel, about the great harlot, etc. Many evil individuals or forces are discussed. And recall that the book itself does NOT mention the Antichrist specifically (that term is only found in 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3 and 2 John 1:7).

By any standard the book of Revelation is admittedly very difficult to interpret, and it may be better to view these various evil creatures and beings as institutions instead of individuals, as empires as opposed to emperors. They are symbolic representations of evil powers and demonic realities.

Consider Babylon for example. Yes there was an actual Babel and its tower (Genesis 11); the Babylonian empire which God used to judge Israel; and the Roman empire which can be seen symbolically as a type of Babylon, etc. But just as Jerusalem can represent more than an actual city, but a whole way of life, so too Babylon.

As James Montgomery Boice wrote in his 1996 book, Foundations of God’s City:

Read here

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