:: in.a.mirror.dimly ::

Yesterday I suggested that the book of Revelation is a Christian version of Jewish apocalyptic literature. This kind of literature is written during times of persecution as a means of encouraging the faithful to persevere.

Apocalyptic literature tells a spiritualized version of current events and also speaks of a future when God will intervene and bring justice. Given what we know of Revelation, I think such a reading is quite fitting.

However, we also have a lot of books (such as the Left Behind series), radio shows, and Bible teachers who say that Revelation gives us a blow-by-blow prediction of what will happen in the future. Can such a perspective be correct? Or is this the end of the end as we know it?

I’d like to look at Revelation in two very broad senses as I compare the apocalyptic view to the popular Left Behind view.

Revelation as Prophecy

Prophecy in the Bible tends more toward discerning the will of God and calling people to repentance. When people called Jesus a prophet (eg. John 4), it was because of his knowledge of God and God-given insight, not necessarily because he could predict the future. In fact, Jesus didn’t know how the world would end exactly.

Though the prophetic books do sometimes predict future events or warn of possible consequences for sinful behavior, they are primarily concerned with calling God’s people to repentance. There are predictions that accompany their warnings, but the emphasis is not on granting secret, insider knowledge. The goal is repentance.

In light of the general trend in scripture, a reading of Revelation that leads us to repentance and Godly living is much more consistent and likely than a coded message about the future that we need to figure out. We profit little by arguing over when the millennium will take place because it’s far more important to remember that Jesus is Lord today and that Revelation promises he will be Lord of all in a more complete sense one day. Reading Revelation as apocalyptic literature makes the latter interpretation far more likely.

Revelation and the Gospel

I look at the Gospel as God’s invasion into our world. Think of Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia where Aslan is thawing the long winter and bringing new life and Spring. Aslan didn’t come to torch Narnia. I think the same holds true to God and the biblical story.

The cross and Resurrection are the turning points of salvation history, and Jesus sent his followers out to make disciples. However, if we take the whole scope of Jesus’ ministry into view, we can see that he didn’t just come to save souls before God blows up the earth. There is something much more complex going on that I don’t have time to fully flesh out here.

In brief, God is bringing his Kingdom in both physical and spiritual ways. There is a judgment to come, but we should be slow to claim knowledge of what it will look like. Keep in mind that the key enemies of Jesus were the religious leaders and scholars. The Gospels tell stories that should give academics, seminary students, and pastors nightmares. Many of those who knew the scriptures best missed God.

When we turn to Revelation, we need to make sure our interpretations aren’t interfering with the larger call of the Gospel to go into the world, to join the present coming of the Kingdom. The Gospel isn’t about how to get us out of the world or how to separate us from the world, but how God’s Kingdom can shape the church in such a way that it brings the Kingdom INTO the world. Reading Revelation as apocalyptic literature fits better into the calling and work of God’s people as developed throughout scripture.

A New Beginning for the End

Therefore, in the broadest of terms, Left Behind theology doesn’t do justice to the Gospel and to the biblical picture of prophecy. While I believe it has bits and pieces correct, the overall scheme raises some problems for this view as an interpretation of Revelation, even if it’s still a fun read for those into books about the apocalypse.

Tomorrow I’ll wrap up this series with some specific ways that reading Revelation as Jewish apocalyptic literature unfolds a relevant message for us today.

Can you imagine what would happen if your pastor began his sermon on God’s covenant with Abraham by comparing a modern business contract? We’d learn hardly anything of value about the ancient story from such a contemporary example.

In fact, we run the risk of misunderstanding the significance of certain elements of the story. There is much more value in comparing God’s covenant with Abraham to ancient Suzerainty covenants from the same time. In studying these ancient documents we discover the unique significance of what God promised Abraham.

By the same token, most scholars and teachers study Paul’s epistles by comparing them to letters written by Paul’s contemporaries. I doubt a comparison to a “Dear Abby” letter would provide the illumination we seek. The same goes for comparing the Gospels to ancient works of history.

Revelation as Literature

When it comes to Revelation, many read it as a blow-by-blow account of future history. They turn it into a prophetic and predictive mash up, seeing it as a highly symbolic chronicle of the future that can be matched up piece by piece with certain events and people.

However, there are a number of books quite similar to the book of Revelation that stand out as contemporaries and demand our attention. To ignore them would cut us off from the best sources we have for understanding a very confusing and symbolic book.

Many scholars agree that Revelation is undeniably a Christian form of apocalyptic literature. In doing this we are also affirming the Jewish roots of the New Testament that are easy to overlook 2,000 years after these books were written.

Revelation as Apocalyptic Literature

When I first read Jewish apocalyptic literature, my mind almost exploded. I kept thinking to myself, “This is just like the book of Revelation!” There were heavenly visions, angelic guides, symbolic beasts and horns, battles between good and evil, and God’s triumph and judgment of evil.

For example, have a look at 2 Esdras 16 and consider if any of that sounds familiar. Chapter 15 should sound familiar too for that matter. For more info, see: Esdras.

In short, Revelation utilizes many of the existing literary elements of a particular genre. The original audience of Revelation would have known how these elements worked and interpreted them accordingly.

This means we need to understand how apocalyptic literature functioned within the Jewish context and how the author of Revelation used this form to communicate with his audience. It is quite possible that the author of Revelation was John the apostle and he did in fact have a heavenly vision. However, whether or not that actually happened, he certainly used a very familiar form to communicate a particular message.

This is quite different from the Gospels, which are documenting historical events that truly do matter. The Gospels hinge on the historicity of what they say about Jesus, but Revelation is performing a different function as apocalyptic literature.

Apocalyptic literature was written during times of persecution as a way to encourage the faithful to endure to the end, to trust that God is fighting evil, and that God will triumph in the end. The symbolism and other-worldly nature of the writings may have been particularly helpful in avoiding the notice of authorities.

Therefore, if Revelation was a form of apocalyptic literature written during a time of persecution, which is most likely the case, what does this mean for our interpretations? Is this the end of the end as we know it? Should we toss our end times charts and the theology of the Left Behind Series? That’s where we’re going tomorrow.

I am a computer addict who bows down before the square, glowing screen of my lap top. It’s my portal into creativity, friendships, and information. Sometimes it’s hard to step away from it, to remove its life by powering it down, and to clamp it shut.

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

Noticing my addiction had grown worse with my attempt to make a go of full time freelance writing, I took action during Lent. While I couldn’t completely cut myself off from the computer, I developed an action plan.

6 PM and Sunday Cut Off

At 6 PM each night I shut down my computer and closed the screen. I even put a book or some papers on top of it so I wouldn’t have to look at it. Laugh at me if you must, but I know some of you can relate. On Sundays I left the computer closed  up, not even touching it.

It was freeing at first, but toward the last week of Lent I had a few projects running that demanded some immediate attention in order to meet deadlines. Since my main goal was to avoid mindlessly flipping through blogs and social media sites, I gave myself a few passes to send crucial e-mails and to visit some work-related sites.

Overall, I realized that while I’m driven to work hard and don’t mind long hours, I tend to work myself into the ground and to burn out while frittering my time away on social media. Setting aside a few hours in the evening as a safe zone helped me stay up on dishes, laundry, and other household stuff while also making me more available to hang out with my wife when she wasn’t working on a paper for grad school. I even had some time to read a book or magazine for leisure.

Imagine that!

In addition, I never missed anything all that important be limiting my time online. That’s still a tough one to believe despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Worship in the Morning

The other part of my Lent that is still a work in progress was my morning worship time. This involved sitting to journal some thoughts and listening to some worship music for about 20 minutes. I often did something else while listening to the music. On the days I forgot to take this time, I noticed a huge different in my attitude and in my overall approach to my day.

It is wonderful to sit, to wait for God to come, and to spend time in his presence. When I rush into my day without that, things can go downhill quickly. Jesus described himself as a vine that we are connected to as branches. We don’t stay connected by  saying a prayer once. Remaining in Jesus is a daily practice.

What’s Next…

I’ll keep working on the morning worship time. I’m not calling it devotions because my time in scripture is separate from this. I need time to be reoriented by scripture, but I also need time to sit, listen, and praise him. I’m going to generally adhere to the 6 PM and Sunday cut off, but I’ll give myself more generous allowances if need be.

In the process of working on this, I’ve discovered that I’m particularly obsessed with checking my e-mail. I think it took hold during my last dead-end job. I’d check my e-mail constantly because the interactions with people outside of my workplace helped preserve my sanity—reminding me that my dysfunctional employer was not the norm. Now that I’m freelancing full time I need to break the e-mail-checking habit.

Checking my e-mail has turned into a control and obsession problem in which I can’t stand the thought that an important e-mail could be waiting for me. Whether or not that e-mail is there, and it frequently isn’t, I need to let go of that control. I’m thinking of setting up 3-4 e-mail checking times throughout my day.

What did you give up for Lent?

What were benefits?

What’s next?

I’m going to keep working on taking

While the Old Testament is essential for understanding the New Testament, roughly four-hundred years transpired after the last Old Testament book was written. New interpretations of the Old Testament emerged in between the testaments, the Intertestamental period, due to religious, political, and socio-economic events.

Israel began this period under Medo-Persian rule. Then the Greeks took over before a Jewish Dynasty revolted and took control. After a brief time of Jewish rule, the Romans, those mentioned in the New Testament, conspired to take over.

During these tumultuous years Jewish writers penned a series of books known as Intertestamental literature. Some of these books developed a strong sense of the apocalyptic—anticipating the immanent return of God to save his people and to punish evil-doers. In fact, the book of Revelation in the NT is a Christian version of Jewish apocalyptic, which is something quite different than a chronicle of events that would happen in the future.

Messianic movements rose up from the fertile ground of apocalyptic literature and various Jewish sects emerged with different applications of the Old Testament to their situations. Many scholars today view Jesus as a prophet in the apocalyptic tradition.

In order to better understand how people responded to Jesus, we need a clear picture of not only the Old Testament but also how his contemporaries read, interpreted, and applied it to their times. John the Baptist, Herod, The Pharisees, the crowds, and the disciples come to life when we read about Jesus with an awareness of his setting, the expectations of his audience, and the tumultuous period leading up to his ministry.

Suggestions for Historical Background Research

• Your best sources will be Bible Dictionaries and commentaries. Some basic Bible dictionaries are fairly inexpensive to purchase in sets of two or four if you wait for the right sale at Christian Book Distributors, though many churches should have some basic dictionaries on hand in a library. My favorite is the InterVarsity press series that’s available on a more affordable CD-ROM. 
• Some local libraries will also carry the works of popular authors such as Dominic Crossan who may not hold to orthodox views of Jesus, but who can flesh out the historical setting quite well in books such as Excavating Jesus: Beneath the Stones, Behind the Texts. Libraries may also carry some worn dictionaries or commentaries that may be of use for extracting historical information.
• For those with a little extra time, there is a wealth of information on the Intertestamental period’s literature on the New Testament in Larry Helyer’s book Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period.
• I know you’re thinking it, so I’ll just say it: Wikipedia. Yes, you can learn a ton about the world of Jesus by reading articles on Wikipedia about the various groups, events, and characters that shaped the world of the New Testament. For starters, look up the Hasmonean Dynasty and read about its fall to the Roman dynasty of Herod.

Image credit: Jim Larranaga.

The Bible can be tough to dive into. Where should a student of scripture begin? Most Christians want to understand Jesus and the letters that his followers wrote, but they can be tough to figure out.

When we ask questions such as, “Why did Jesus say that?” or “Why did Paul write this?” we will encounter a great deal of complexity and mystery. If we can’t answer these first questions, then it will be even more difficult to discern what they mean for us today. This application to everyday life is the real pay-off for Christians.

Studying the Bible well takes some time and effort, but just about any Christian can learn how to study it effectively with a little direction. After investing time into the study of scripture you’ll soon find it easier to read. Certain themes and connections will emerge, and you’ll not only arrive at a better understanding, but a better ability to apply it to your life.

Each day next week we’ll take a look at some simple steps toward effective study of the New Testament.

As the popularity of Jesus increased, so did the opposition of the Pharisees who set out to trap him and discredit his ministry. By resorting to a conflict over the observance of sacred traditions they thought they had a legitimate way to attack him.

Jesus disregarded the traditional practices of the Pharisees, opting instead to focus on the inner person and the problems that only God can fix. Anyone can wash a pot. God is not needed for that kind of religion.

For followers of Jesus there is an emphasis on the internally rooted sins such as pride, envy, lust, immorality, slander, and some of the more serious crimes such as murder. Physical regulations cannot stop these sins at their source in the heart, even if external rules can certainly do something to dam them up. In fact, the more the Pharisees moved away from the internal goals of the law, the more they missed out on the heart of God and the real power that can heal sin.

The Pharisees neglected the laws of God because they made their own doctrines on par with the law of God. Perhaps these laws began as well-meaning guides on the path to obedience, but over time they took on a power of their own and even threatened the greater commands from God. This passage is a reminder that we can associate our own traditions and practices too closely with real obedience to and love for God.

After so frustrating a confrontation, Jesus traveled to the Gentile region of Tyre and the Decapolis, respectively west and east of Jewish Galilee. While in Tyre Jesus tried to keep a low profile, but the news about him spread and a woman boldly sought him out in the home where he was staying.

We don’t know much about this woman. Did she have a husband or was she a widow? Did she come alone because no one else she knew believed in Jesus or wanted anything to do with this Jew? In addition, she didn’t bring her daughter with her, and we only read that she begged Jesus to drive out the demon, not that he should go with her to heal her daughter. What does this tell us about her faith?   

In one of the only times Jesus denied someone who wasn’t a religious leader testing him, Jesus told her that now was not the time for the Gentiles to enjoy God’s favor. That wasn’t to say that it couldn’t happen some day, but he told her that at the moment she was on the outside of God’s work.

The woman’s faith only grew stronger in the midst of this let down. She believed that the one who could feed thousands with bread surely had some crumbs to spare for her daughter. Unlike those who begged in other situations, this woman humbled herself and reasserted her belief that Jesus was not only willing but able to grant her request. When Jesus healed her daughter he showed that God honors faith wherever it may be found.

After leaving the Gentile region of Tyre, Jesus visited the Decapolis where people begged him to heal a deaf and mute man. People are still begging Jesus to heal. Evan after witnessing his miracles they struggle with doubt that he can do the same things for them.

Rather than show his miracle to the masses, Jesus pulled the man away to a private space and even commanded the healed man and the crowd to keep it a secret. However, they only spoke of him all the more because of their amazement at his mighty works.

Throughout the Gospels those starting from scratch, without religious expectations for Jesus, had a much easier time in accepting Jesus, while those with preconceived notions of a Messiah, religious practice, or theological perfection in  mind couldn’t see the big picture because of their obsession with the minor points of the law that had become inflated in importance. Perhaps the place to begin with Jesus is to first figure out his terms and to then sort out what matters from there.

Much like my previous series on the book of Romans, I’ll be starting a series of devotions and reflections on the Gospel of Mark. While I’m at it I’ll also stick up the occasional post on theology or Christian living.

I like Mark because he begins with a bang, jumping right into his declaration that his work covers the Good News about the Messiah and then wastes little time in introducing us to John and Jesus. Jesus emerges as a miracle worker and preacher who immediately runs afoul of the religious authorities, and isn’t afraid to use complex imagery that alienates some listeners while conveying his deeper truths to those who wrestle with his words.

Throughout the Gospel of Mark Jesus follows a course that his followers and opponents generally don’t expect or can’t quite explain. If we step back from our familiarity with Jesus and his ministry and try to insert ourselves into the world Mark describes we will find in Jesus a challenging and unexpected Savior.

If the people who witnessed Jesus’ miracles found him puzzling, with many rejecting him outright, then any reading of the Gospels should be uncomfortable at some levels, stirring up some tough issues, confusing us, and leaving us with difficult choices to make. Jesus offers us salvation, communion with God, and the freedom of discipleship, but that path has a cost and will become quite difficult at times.

As we enter into this brief Gospel that dives right into the ministry of Jesus and shows his various actions and teachings receiving a variety of responses, let us pray that this account of Jesus will push us and pull us in good ways, showing what we must leave behind, and how we can take active steps toward greater intimacy with Christ in our daily lives. 

There is no doubt in my mind that Ed Dobson, a former pastor and author of The Year of Living Like Jesus, has some tremendous insights for the church today. Who can’t respect someone with a few years to live because of ALS who devotes a year to live like Jesus?

The simple fact that Dobson has set out on this project is reason enough to admire him. In addition, his attitude throughout the book is one of both compassion for others and a personal passion for the Gospel. Dobson has so much to teach us, and yet I was disappointed by this book because it promised far more than it delivered.

The Absurdly Short Review

Do you believe Christians should only vote for Republicans? Read this book. Did that question strike you as a silly one? Then read Shane Claiborn’s Irresistable Revolution and Jesus for President instead of this book. Not sure yet? Then read this:

The Long Review

While I can’t give this book a positive review, I can’t say enough good things about Dobson. The book reads like a personal journal, and therefore I don’t want to take away from the gains he made in his one-year project. A lot of good stuff happens in this book, but to put it bluntly, the book’s presentation as a year of living like Jesus doesn’t work. Perhaps he could have just listed a few lessons learned after immersing himself in the Gospels rather than claiming he was “living like Jesus.”

The first sixty five pages alone drag on with insignificant details and fretting over silly things like whether to use electronics during a plane’s take off or whether he should eat shrimp. Such passages zeroing in on minutiae are far too common throughout the book. In addition, any project like this needs parameters and Dobson doesn’t really set up hard and fast ones to follow, which could have saved a lot of ink and paper later in the book as he confronts the limitations of his ALS.

Was he going to follow all of the Old Testament? Was he going to live like Jesus in light of Acts 15? He doesn’t really tell us, and so he does a little of each, spending a lot of time worrying about what to do and talking about the Jewish customs he picked up along the way.

In addition, while Dobson wants to focus on praying more so he can be like Jesus, I can’t quite figure out why he’d pick up the Rosary and the prayer beads of the Eastern Orthodox. While his openness to these things is admirable, it’s hard to see how they fit in this book, which brings us back to his project’s parameters and the way it has been marketed.

The book’s main problem is that it still presents living like Jesus in a fairly tame form where we have to think a little harder about how we vote, make ourselves a little bit uncomfortable by picking up hitchhikers, give away a few things, and read the Bible more. These are all good steps that I want to honor, but when I read about the folks  living sacrificially in the communities of folks such as Shane Claiborn and Mark Scandrette, I can’t help but feel this project didn’t quite go far enough.

Though Dobson is careful to set his own course in order to distinguish himself from A. J. Jacob’s The Year of Living Biblically, I think the book would have benefited by interacting with some other Christian leaders beyond the few clergy he sought out. Wouldn’t it have been amazing for a former assistant to Jerry Falwell to sit down for a chat with someone like Jim Wallis or Shane Claiborn?

Dobson is honest about some of his failings, such as not visiting someone in prison or giving up more of his possessions, but at the same time there is a failure throughout the book to tackle some of the teachings of Jesus that many American Christians would find most difficult to stomach. If the publisher knew Dobson hadn’t done these things, then why not present the material in a slightly different light?

It was nice that Dobson gave away some suits and even sacrificed his preaching gig at his gated community in Florida, but his example of trusting his wealthy friends to buy him dinner didn’t exactly strike me as the kind of thing worth recording in a book about living like Jesus.

Dobson takes admirable risks at times and reaches out in wonderful ways to those outside the church, but there are plenty of awkward moments where he uncritically mentions his corvette and his gated community without wondering how the story of the rich young man could apply to them. He very well could have justified either of them, but his lack of attention to them makes them a glaring oversight that makes this book a bit difficult to digest at times.

I have really struggled to review this book because it does some things well, but also has some glaring weak points in light of the way the material is presented: a year of living like Jesus. The bar has no doubt been set high, but in reality we have a series of journal entries from a gracious and compassionate brother who benefits greatly by devoting more time to prayer, scripture reading, and attempts to live like Jesus.

As far as the benefits of this book, pastor Dan Kimball notes that Dobson has a passion for those outside of the church and has a lot of great stories to share from his year of trying to live like Jesus. Just taking a gander at the comments on Kimball’s blog you can see how some Christian brothers and sisters can’t stomach a discussion in politics beyond abortion, and to the extent that Dobson helps broaden the pro-life agenda and add nuance to our discussions, his book has made a valuable contribution to Christianity.

This book was reviewed as part of Zondervan’s blog tour.

I’m continuing my reflections on the book of Romans with chapter two today…

The second chapter of Romans continues to build the case for equality among the Gentiles and Jews in the Roman church, but at this point Paul is making a negative association that will continue into chapter three. The Jews and Gentiles are equally in trouble when it comes to sin and whether or not they consider themselves God’s chosen people, God recognizes those who are obedient, avoiding both sin and judgment of others.

This passage contains some pretty harsh words for folks who are supposedly saved by faith and secure in their salvation. They have the same sin problems as those who are not believers. They judge others. They are storing up wrath and judgment for themselves. They have stubborn and unrepentant hearts.

And the blow to the jugular? God will one day uncover all of the sin they’re hiding away in their hearts.

None of this is sounding all that pleasant.

I have a feeling that Jews in attendance may have felt a tad smug still after all that Paul said. Perhaps they still thought they had an edge on others because of circumcision: the mark of the covenant. Whatever the case may be, Paul drops a bomb on them by saying that circumcision doesn’t mean a thing if it isn’t paired with faithful obedience.

And if invalidating the mark of Judaism, one of the most hallowed rituals for the past 2,000 years with deep biblical roots, isn’t enough, he goes on to completely redefine circumcision as a spiritual act that the Holy Spirit performs on the heart. It would seem that sin has rendered the old system useless.

However, in the midst of this seeming biblical revisionism and verse after verse of bad news, there is hope that God can save and reform us.

The trouble is that his audience needs to let go of their deeply implanted sins, open themselves to the message of the Lord for them in their current day, and even let go of good, biblical practices in favor of the new things God is doing. We should marvel at the radical nature of Paul’s statement about circumcision. This is a deepening of that ritual to the core of what God intended: an obedient people who were holy as he is holy.

This is a goal for our lives: holiness. When we get that right, we are free to have fellowship with God. And when we have fellowship with God, we have tapped into the very thing we were made for.

Lately I’ve been realizing that I’m not comfortable describing myself as a “conservative” evangelical. Nevertheless, I’m still pretty committed to the Bible and even have many conservative traits in my reading of scripture. So while I have departed from the conservative end of evangelicals in part, I find myself trying to figure out what it means to have a high view of scripture from the evangelical left or center.

If I want to sound trendy or at least charitable, I’d describe myself as a “progressive”. Now doesn’t that sound catchy. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be progressive?

Here’s the thing: I’m cool with there being a broad range of evangelicals. Whether right, left, or center, our movement has thrived by focusing on the Gospel message of cross and resurrection, Christian activism (I’m going with David Bebbington’s word here for Christian service and volunteerism in ministry), conversion, and the Bible. Therefore, as an evangelical who sees himself somewhere in the middle to left of this movement, I’d like establish solid credibility for my end of things.

I’ve been trying to think of the most evangelical thing I could do—something that would demonstrate my commitment to scripture in particular. How could I show that one need not cling to the right of this movement to be a Bible-loving evangelical? The folks on the left and center still take the Bible seriously—generally adhering to the accepted evangelical methods of historical-cultural interpretations that deal with the complexity of scripture, while not disregarding biblical revelation.

What’s an evangelical to do?

The answer: Study the book of Romans!

When all else fails evangelicals traditionally dig into the good ole’ book of Romans for spiritual sustenance. If I only had a denarius for all of the Bible studies that have started with the hefty book of Romans.

And so that is exactly what I’m going to do. I’ve been reading through Romans and hope to post a series of meditations on the book. I promise an especially exciting exegetical and hermeneutical adventure for the part about homosexuality in chapter one.

Seriously, when was the last time the words exegetical and hermeneutical were linked with “adventure”? Epic this will be. And with such promises of exegetical excellence, let’s jump in…

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