About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman

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It Screams "The Beast"

“It screams the beast.  Can't you see it?  I sure do".  That is what I recently heard a Biblical prophetic influencer aggressively say concerning today's world events.  It is what motivated me to write this article.

In the early days of my seventy-four year life, the only view of Bible prophecy as it pertains to the Book of Revelation was the Futurist view.  Since those early days I have heard many claims that current world events are signaling the imminent arrival of the Revelation 13 beast.  To date, all these prophetic claims have failed.

I lean toward the Futurist interpretation of Revelation, but decades of study have shown me that there are other reasonable views that cannot be dismissed.  So here is my question.  Why do so many Prophetic Futurists speculate about Revelation's predictions yet fail to grasp the significance of Jesus' confrontational words spoken to seven churches in chapters 2 and 3?

If Revelation has something to say about our world's future, it also has something to say about our present church.  If we think we have Revelation's prophecy figured out at the expense of figuring out its view of church, something is missing in our Christian lives.

Consider the complaints Jesus expressed to two church communities at the end of the first century.  Do those complaints have any relevance for the church in the twenty-first century?  Look at the church at Ephesus (Rev. 2:1–7) and the church at Laodicea (Rev. 3:14–22).

Jesus did commend the church at Ephesus when He told it that "I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.  I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary" (Rev. 2:2–3).  That sounds impressive, but it was insufficient.  Jesus went on to say this.  "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.  Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.  If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place" (Rev. 2:4–5).  What a let down after hearing the initial compliment.

This church had much going for it, but church can get routine, and routine can kill love.  If it failed to repent, it would lose its "lampstand", which Revelation 1:20 identifies as "church".  In other words, it would cease to be a true New Testament church.  It might continue to exist, but only as an organizational shell of a church without the light of the Holy Spirit within it.  From my perspective, much of what we commonly call church in the western world today resembles this lifeless, lightless shell of institutionalism that Jesus has left.  That should scream "repent".

Jesus also complimented the church at Laodicea by saying, "I know your deeds" (Rev. 3:15) but that too was insufficient.  The church was "lukewarm" (Rev. 3:16).  It was spiritually useless.  Here's its claim. "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing".  Here's Jesus' response.  "You are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked (Rev. 3:17).  It's why He said "I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Rev. 3:16) which history says He eventually did.  From my perspective, much of what we commonly call church in the western world today is this self-sufficient commercialized shell of a church where Jesus is seen standing outside of its doors (ch. 3:20).  That's no place for Jesus to stand.  That should scream "repent".         

We can continue trying to decode Biblical prophecy, but if we ignore Revelation 2 and 3 and fail to experience church described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12, we will fail to live the Christian life as Jesus expects.  That should scream "repent".

Postscript

To read more about my perspective on Revelation chapters 2 and 3, see my book " Jesus Confronts Church ", available on all Amazon sites.

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