“Well, well, if it isn’t Lucius the merchant’s son!”
Standing on a beautiful, cobbled street in the centre of Pergamum, Loukas froze and turned slowly to face the speaker. He and his friends had been travelling for the last few days through the hills and valleys of Asia – and across two major rivers – as they had wound their way northward along the road that connected Smyrna to Pergamum. They had made good time, but it had taken its toll. They were exhausted and in need of much rest. As soon as they had entered through the city gates Artemas and Hermas had headed off to the Agora for food for their evening meal. Loukas had wandered off to find the house of Antipas. Although Antipas was no longer alive, his widow was known to offer shelter to those visiting the church from out of town. So Loukas was on his own when he turned around to see Sergius Maximus coming towards him.
“Sergius Maximus! Greetings!” replied Loukas in what he hoped was not a guilty tone.
“We did not run into each other on the wide streets of Ephesus,” said Sergius Maximus with a smile. “Clearly what was required were the narrower streets of Pergamum to bring us together again!”
“So it seems.”
“So what brings you to my new home town?”
With an effort Loukas stopped himself reaching for the scroll nestled so vulnerably in its bag. Instead, he shrugged and said, “The usual: collecting trade payments, that sort of thing…”
“Well, it is good to see a familiar face. I haven’t been here long enough to make any real friends, so I am making do with acquaintances. Even those from Ephesus.”
He turned to look at Loukas more closely before asking, “Have you just come from Ephesus?”
Loukas again thought it better not to lie too much. “Indirectly,” he replied.
“Hmmm,” said Sergius frowning a little. “So you don’t know anything about the problems there?”
Loukas’ heart missed a beat. “Problems?”
“Well, nothing much. Just a few people demonstrating rebellion against Rome by refusing to worship the Emperor – may He reign over us forever. I wouldn’t even mention it except some of them have come from well-born families. Very surprising, really.”
Loukas did not reply. He was suddenly overcome by anxiety for his friends at home. Who had been the ones to refuse? What had happened to them? He wanted to ask Sergius Maximus, but he knew full well that to do so would bring immediate suspicion upon himself, thereby destroying his chance to spread the scroll to the remaining churches.
“By the way, I am heading to the library. Are you interested in seeing it? It is as wonderful as I had been led to believe. I have been gladdened to see that the citizens of this fair city have been slowly rebuilding their collection. I spend many long hours reading at the feet of Athena herself. Perhaps seeing her will bring wisdom to your business dealings? She has brought much wisdom to me, and don’t I need it in this job!”
Just then he caught sight of a man running down the road towards him. He groaned. “Speaking of the job, that looks like Crispus. He appears to have tracked me down before I could disappear into a quiet corner of the library…”
“Sergius Maximus!” called the man whose name was apparently Crispus as he ran up to them waving a sealed scroll. “A messenger has just come from Smyrna bringing this letter for you and rumours of unrest for all who have ears to hear.”
“Crispus!” Sergius replied sternly. “Enough loose talk! I don’t want you listening to gossip and then passing it along to everyone you happen to meet. You know that I want you listening to gossip then passing it along to me alone!” Turning to Loukas he said, “I think I had better bid you farewell. I hope to see you again before you leave this wonderful city of mine.”
Loukas, who had not actually contributed to the conversation for quite a while, was only too eager to get away, so he bowed to Sergius Maximus and hurried off in the direction of Antipas’ widow’s house. In fact, he could not even trust himself to speak. In the deepest recesses of his mind, Loukas could not prevent the thought that Iounia was one of those in trouble.
He found the house with not too much trouble. When Artemas and Hermas came in with some food and wine, he quickly told them about his encounter with Sergius Maximus.
“May God be with them,” said Hermas mournfully, after Loukas lapsed into silence.
“Well, we knew it was coming,” replied Artemas.
Yes, thought Loukas. We did know it was coming, thanks to Ioanneis’ scroll. And yet, in some ways, it is intensifying because of the scroll…
Putting all thoughts of Iounia out of his head, Loukas quickly made contact with the leaders of the church. When they heard what he carried, the church did not even wait for their regular Sunday meeting. Knowing that the authorities were becoming aware of the spread of civil rebellion, which Loukas knew only too well was the direct result of the scroll in his possession, the church had decided to meet secretly and immediately to hear the reading of the scroll.
So it was that later that very night, Loukas stood up in front of the assembly and read from the scroll. Things were going well until he got to the section addressed specifically to them.
“ ‘To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live – where Satan has his throne.’[34]”
Almost as a group everyone’s eyes drifted in the direction of the Altar of Zeus. Loukas thought back to their approach to the city earlier that day. From quite a distance away, the acropolis of Pergamum could be seen, the pillars of the various temples standing out white against the brown of the rocky hillside and the blue of the sky. The smoke, too, had also been visible from a distance, rising up from the various sacrificial altars of the many deities worshipped by the people of Pergamum. As they had got closer, they had been able to distinguish the four terraces, each one cut into the side of the hill. The largest theatre in the world – with 80 rows of seats, capable of seating 10,000 men – took up a significant part of the first terrace, with an Agora on the left. Higher up the hill, on the third terrace, they had been able to see the Temple dedicated to Athena. The fourth terrace had been harder to make out, the palaces located there hidden somewhat by the curve of the hillside. But the second terrace had been the one that really stood out: standing to the right of the theatre, the Altar of Zeus was an imposing structure located at the crest of the ridge looking down on the valley below. With its majestic columns, fourteen metres tall, it dominated the entire acropolis. And it even looked like a throne: the altar was located within a colonnade that made up three sides of a square, the fourth side remaining open towards the valley. It was not at all hard to picture Satan seated on this ‘throne’ feasting on the blood and smoke and sexual immorality that made up the cultic rituals.
“ ‘Yet you remain true to my name,’ ” continued Loukas. “ ‘You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city – where Satan lives.’[35]”
This time all eyes swivelled to focus on Antipas’ widow, whose eyes were shining with tears and righteousness both at the same time.
Loukas took a deep breath. Even someone who had not heard the scroll before could sense the rapidly approaching ‘but…’
“ ‘Nevertheless, I have a few things against you.’ ”
There was an immediate susurration of anxious whispering.
“ ‘You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.’[36]”
This brought looks of bewilderment to the faces of many in the church. Balaam? There was no one of that name teaching in the church. However, a few – those who were more familiar with the Jewish Scriptures and who could link it to the reference to food sacrificed to idols – knew where the finger was pointing. To make it abundantly clear to everyone, Loukas continued reading.
“ ‘Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.’[37]”
There was an immediate sensation. Several people jumped up indignantly and started talking loudly, so Loukas had to raise his voice to continue.
“ ‘Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.’[38]”
That was as far as he could get.
“How dare you criticise us!” someone shouted from the side of the room.
“But idols are nothing!” someone else shouted. “So the great teacher Paulos wrote.”[39]
“He also said do not participate with demons!” someone else retorted.[40]
“Brothers, brothers!” The leader of the church, a man by the name of Silas, was attempting to restore order. “We are here to listen to this letter from Ioanneis himself. Have you so quickly forgotten his love for us? If he writes this, then it must be for our own good.”
“What does he know?” The man who had called out from the side of the room stepped forward. His name, Loukas learned afterwards, was Rufus. “Ioanneis has never been a member of a guild, so he has no idea of the pressure we have been under. Nicolaus showed us the way through.”
Rufus turned around and faced the people. “We all know that Zeus is not a real god! What does it matter if we eat meat that was offered on his altar?”
There were some cheers at this, but also quite a few shaking of heads.
“And the Emperor:” continued Rufus, a lot quieter, as if he did not wish to be overheard, “we know he is only a man. How can it possibly matter if we just go along with the crowd and say with our lips that he is a god? No one really believes he is! And if it means we are able to continue living and working…”
“No,” shouted Hermas. There was a stunned silence, and all eyes turned to face him, including Loukas, who was wondering what his friend wanted to say. Hermas was immediately embarrassed, for he had not meant to speak aloud. He had just wanted Loukas to continue reading the rest of the scroll, for as they had discussed together on the road, the answer was in there.
“No,” he said again, this time more quietly. “There is another way through. Yes, there will be persecutions. There have been in the past” – here, he glanced at Antipas’ widow – “and undoubtedly there will be more to come. I for one know this only too well, since I am a member of the guild of weavers. I know what it will mean for me if I do not participate in their feasts. But compromising our faith is not the answer! The answer is… well, it’s in this scroll if you will only listen to it.”
There was a long silence. Loukas gazed with pride at his friend who had clearly absorbed the contents of the scroll and was prepared to live it out, despite knowing what it could cost him. Then, taking up the scroll, he made as if to start reading again.
Suddenly, Rufus started walking through the crowd to the door at the rear of the room. Many of his fellow Nicolaitans were quick to follow. There was a deep irony, though, as Loukas continued reading from where he had left off.
“ ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”
As the last of the dissenters departed, Loukas looked around at those who remained and smiled at them warmly. “ ‘To him who overcomes, I will give him some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.’[41]”
Loukas knew that the people gathered in that small room would soon be living in fear of what Rome would do to them should they obey what Iēsus through his prophet Ioanneis was asking them to do. And he knew that they would be asking themselves, ‘Was potential martyrdom worth such rewards?’ But what rewards! Instead of the polluted idol meat, Iēsus was offering them manna from heaven; and the white stone was an engraved invitation to the messianic banquet!
Yet there was more to it than mere rewards. Ioanneis was trying to tell them something more: something about the effect those martyrdoms would have on their very persecutors. Loukas kept reading…
Dima was silent as he stared out the window of the speeding train at the desolate white of the snowy landscape rushing past. Occasionally, an isolated dacha could be seen, smoke unwillingly emerging from its chimney, dissipating rapidly in the harsh, freezing wind. Natasha sat next to him, reading a book. Dima had brought a couple of books with him too, but he had had enough reading. The more he read, the more frustrated he was becoming.
He had wanted to understand what the eleventh chapter of Revelation was all about. Dr. Williams had allowed him to borrow a copy of G. B. Caird’s commentary on the book of Revelation, the one Yevgeny had so highly recommended. Then, to get a differing opinion, he had also got hold of a copy of The Morning Comes And Also The Night, by Byron MacDonald. After reading a little of both, Dima decided it could not have been more of a differing opinion. It was hard to comprehend how two people could approach the same passage of the Bible and yet arrive at such different conclusions.
Admittedly, that particular chapter of Revelation could not be more difficult to understand at first glance. It starts out with John being told to measure the temple of Jerusalem, but not the outer court, since it has been given over to the Gentiles who will trample it and the rest of Jerusalem for 42 months. Then comes the two witnesses, who prophesy for 1260 days – which is the same as saying 42 months if you go by months of 30 days. They are protected by God, who kills any who try to harm them with fire from heaven, while they themselves have miraculous powers: they can prevent rain from falling on the earth, and they can turn water into blood and also strike the earth with every kind of plague.
Then after they finish testifying the Beast that comes up out of the Abyss kills them. But what Beast? This creature is not properly described until chapter thirteen, so John is getting ahead of himself slightly. Then, after three and a half days, the two witnesses are resurrected and are whisked off to heaven in full view of their enemies. This ushers in an earthquake that kills 7000 people which concludes what John calls the second woe.
Simple, really, thought Dima sarcastically.
Dima had started with Byron MacDonald. Recognising the similarity of the description of the miraculous powers of these two witnesses with certain key Old Testament figures, he notes that perhaps these two men are actually Moses and Elijah, Moses representing the law and Elijah the prophets. But he does not push this point, emphasising rather that the two men fulfil the prophecy of Zechariah chapter four. But there is no doubt in his mind that the two witnesses are two particular individuals.
More importantly, these two witnesses have one job to do: to testify to the Jewish people and to warn the nations of the world of the impending judgment of God; and they are the only ones able to do this, since all the Christians have previously disappeared in the Rapture – whatever that might be, since that word does not appear in the book of Revelation. Perhaps because of their miraculous powers, many Jews respond. (This comes from a jump backwards to Revelation 7 and the 144,000 described there.) Others around the world, watching on TV and the Internet, also respond, but are persecuted. Byron MacDonald makes an amazing claim at this point: “These are part of the reason Revelation is written with such detail given of these seven years. Revelation will become their survival guide, as parts of it speak directly to them…”[42] Dima could not help thinking what the poor people who had first received this book from John must have thought of those parts that were apparently intended for people undergoing persecution in some far future time after the Rapture of the church.
Byron MacDonald then appears to link all the plagues associated with the seven trumpets as emanating from the two witnesses, despite the fact that, apart from the seventh trumpet, these occur before the two witnesses arrive on the scene.
Then, after the 1260 days / 42 months / 3 and a half years, Satan is finally removed from Heaven, cast down to earth as it says in Revelation 12:9. And since the 144,000 have all responded, the two witnesses suddenly lose their divine protection and are summarily killed. The inhabitants of the earth celebrate, but not for long, since the two witnesses are resurrected and an earthquake strikes Jerusalem killing 7,000 people. And when Satan tries to attack the 144,000 Jewish Christians, God moves them all off into the desert, as it says in Revelation 12:13-17.
Dima was mainly dizzy from all the jumping around in Revelation. If Byron MacDonald was right, then John had not been very logical, let alone chronological, in his presentation of future events.
But was Byron MacDonald correct? Was there an alternative approach? Well, if G. B. Caird’s commentary was anything to go by, there certainly was.
Like Byron MacDonald, G. B. Caird was quick to recognise references to the Old Testament. However, unlike the other writer, he then tried to see if the Old Testament echoes threw any light on such a cryptic passage. Who are the two witnesses? Well, John explicitly refers to them as “two olive trees”. This image comes from Zechariah 4, and is explained in verse 14 of that chapter as “the two anointed ones”, Zerubbabel the anointed king and Joshua the anointed priest. But who in New Testament times can be described as a Christian king and a Christian priest? All believers, according to Rev. 1:6, 5:10; but especially Christian martyrs, according to Rev. 3:12, 21 and 20:6.
This identification is further supported when John also refers to them as “two lamp stands”. The lamp stands had already appeared in the first chapter of Revelation, and were explained there as referring to the seven churches and by extension the whole church. Instead of seeing this as singling out two particular churches out of the seven, Caird concluded that the two lamps are a proportion of the church in all parts of the world.
In stark contrast to the literal approach of Byron MacDonald, G. B. Caird interpreted the “fire from their mouths” as the word of their testimony as they defend themselves in the Roman court of law. The reference to stopping rain alludes to Elijah (1 Kings 17:1), and the turning water to blood alludes to Moses (Ex. 7:17). These actions are not supposed to be seen as vindictive. They are supposed to lead people to repentance just like the plagues associated with the seven trumpets.
What, then, is “the great city”? John explicitly tells us he is using figurative language when he calls it Sodom – a symbol of vice – and Egypt – a symbol of tyranny. And while the place of Jesus’ death was literally Jerusalem, figuratively John is referring to Rome since the Romans were responsible for the crucifixion. Rome, then, is the current embodiment of Babylon most especially when it attacks the Christian church through martyrdom.
But of greatest importance is that the witnesses are resurrected: God vindicates them in the sight of their enemies. And this vindication is the consequent earthquake, an Old Testament symbol for the overthrowing of an ungodly political order, that destroys part of the city, and which leads to the conversion of many people, mentioned in Revelation 11:18.
So G. B. Caird saw the section detailing the fate of the two witnesses as fitting into the wider context of the seven trumpets. After six trumpets had sounded, the peoples of the world had not responded in repentance despite God allowing evil to intensify on earth. So John interrupts his sequence of trumpets to explain to the prospective martyrs how indispensable is their witness to the consummation of the redemptive purposes of God. In other words, chapter 11 would have taught the original recipients of the letter that the persecution of the church is the secret weapon by which God intends to win his victory over the church’s persecutors and to achieve his purposes of redemption.
Dima put the books down with a sigh. Basically whenever Byron MacDonald interpreted something literally G. B. Caird interpreted it metaphorically. So who was right? Dima’s gut reaction was that G. B. Caird was. It just held together better. It made more sense within the context of the book as a whole. And he could imagine someone in the first century reading Revelation and finding in it the reason for standing firm in the face of persecution.
Suddenly, in a moment of recklessness, Dima stood up and opened the window. There was an immediate icy blast that started the pages of Natasha’s book fluttering.
“What are you doing?” Natasha cried out, as Dima flung the Byron MacDonald book out the window with as much force as he could muster. When it was gone, he slammed the window shut and sat back down, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to get the circulation going again.
“I made an interpretive decision,” he replied, cryptically.
It was then that he remembered that the book that was even now collecting snow in some rail-side ditch had been borrowed from Dr. Williams. With a grimace, he realised he would have some explaining to do when they returned to St. Petersburg.
Loukas and his friends set off from Pergamum as soon as it was light. They had been staying in a small room of one of the richer members of the church. This man, Terlios by name, operated a vineyard not far from the walls of the city. So as soon as the gates were opened, Loukas, Hermas and Artemas climbed up onto Terlios’ wagon with the chief steward of the vineyard and headed through the gates of Pergamum to all intents and purposes Terlios’ vineyard workers. Thus disguised they went completely unnoticed by the Roman guard.
Once the wagon arrived at the vineyard, they waved farewell to the steward – also a member of the church – and set off in the direction of Thyatira. They had a good way to go before night fell, so they set off cheerfully enough along the wide and well-made Roman road. Loukas walked a little ahead of the other two. He was lost in his thoughts, pondering the varying reactions of people to the scroll of Ioanneis. He had been saddened by the reaction of the Nicolaitans but not surprised. After all, these people were only trying to find a way through the difficult times. It was just unfortunate that the way they had settled on completely compromised their faith in Iēsus. But on the other hand there were people like Terlios: prepared to uphold his belief in the ultimate lordship of Iēsus to the exclusion of all others, especially an upstart human with divine pretensions. Terlios would not compromise. He was prepared to die if the Romans so chose to punish him for refusing to offer worship to Domitianus.
Thinking about Terlios reminded Loukas of his father. He wondered briefly how he was coping with the mammoth task of organising trade between fellow Christians unable to trade using the normal channels. Suddenly, he wished he was back in Ephesus, helping his father in the work, able to encourage his family through the persecution to come.
And Iounia. How he missed her! Picturing her brought a smile to his face and tears to his eyes.
“Halt!”
The voice was harsh and commanding. With a start, Loukas realised he had walked straight into a Roman patrol. He had been so lost in his reverie that he had not been keeping much of an eye out for potential trouble. As he turned to his friends he became aware that they were not there: he was on his own and he was carrying the scroll.
“Who are you and where are you from?” The leader of the patrol was a burly man with dark bushy eyebrows. He looked as though he had seen much fighting, with noticeable facial scars.
“Please, sir, my name is Loukas and I am from Ephesus.” Again, Loukas figured it was safest to stick with the truth as much as possible.
“Really?” the man answered with a sneer. “You are a long way from home then. This road will neither lead you to or from Ephesus, so where are you bound and what is your purpose?”
At this point Loukas was unsure whether to lie or tell the truth, but for every split second he delayed answering he knew it would look more and more like a lie.
“I am heading to Thyatira. My father wishes me to investigate the market there. He is seeking new sources of merchandise.”
Loukas could tell the man was listening attentively to what he said but was paying still closer attention to the way he said it.
“Very well,” said the burly man.
Loukas must have made some sort of involuntary response of relief. Perhaps he relaxed his shoulders or made a barely audible outward breath. Whatever it was the leader of the patrol noticed.
“Wait,” he said, softly. “You say you are headed to Thyatira, and you are on the road from Pergamum. You say you are from Ephesus, so you must have been through Smyrna. I need to search your belongings.”
He was looking closely at Loukas’ face as he said this, but Loukas had regained his composure and was giving nothing away. If the Romans wanted to search them, his face and relaxed body stance said, they were welcome to. Inside, though, Loukas’ mind was racing, trying to remember which part of the letter the scroll was currently wound to. He had not really checked it when he had received it back from the Pergamum church’s scribe, just placed it back in its special cover and then into his bag.
“Be my guest,” he replied calmly, placing his bag on the ground and stepping away.
The patrol leader opened the bag and immediately pulled out the scroll in its cover. It was, after all, the only item of interest in the bag.
“Well, well, what is this and why do you have it?” The man seemed incapable of asking just one question at a time.
“Just some light reading for the journey,” replied Loukas hoping that would answer both questions at once. After a slight pause, he said: “You can take a look if you wish.”
“I intend to,” said the man, sharply. He pulled the scroll roughly out of its cover and unwound the scroll a little thereby revealing a column of characters.
“Well, let’s see. It’s in Greek which makes it easier.” Loukas had guessed from the man’s dark complexion that he was not a Roman who would be more familiar with Latin. Desperately trying not to appear too concerned, Loukas wondered what the man would be able to read. He did not have to wait.
“ ‘Then I saw another beast coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon…’ ”
There were titters from the other members of the Roman patrol.
“ ‘He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast whose fatal wound had been healed…’ But this is nonsense!” he exclaimed, as the patrol started laughing. The burly man wound the scroll on a little further before reading again. “ ‘…No one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is a man’s number. His number is six hundred and sixty six.’[43] This doesn’t call for wisdom! It is nonsense pure and simple.” He began to put the scroll back in its cover, but appeared to want to get rid of it faster, so just handed it all over to Loukas.
“Well, kid,” he said in a voice that was more kindly than he had used before, “I am afraid I don’t think much of your choice of reading material. On your way!”
With that, he and the rest of the patrol continued on their way towards Pergamum leaving Loukas standing alone on the road, carefully rolling the scroll up before placing it back in its cover again. Turning to face Thyatira, he silently offered heartfelt thanks to God for protecting him and the scroll. He was also glad that Ioanneis had not written the scroll in plainer terms. After all, if the leader of the Roman patrol had known what Ioanneis had meant, Loukas could well have been arrested on the spot.
Loukas was just wondering whether he should continue on his own when Hermas and Artemas appeared somewhat sheepishly from behind a thicket of trees near the left side of the road.
“Loukas! Are you all right?” asked Hermas.
“Yes, I’m fine. What happened to you two?”
“Well,” said Artemas, “We heard the patrol coming, but you were too far ahead of us. If we had called to warn you they would have heard us and known we were there.”
“We’re sorry, Loukas,” said Hermas.
“Don’t worry. It has turned out fine for us all. Perhaps if they had stopped all three of us things may have turned out differently. As it was, they appear to have found a travelling salesman with a scroll of nonsense.”
“Do you mean that Roman read Ioanneis’ scroll?” asked Hermas with his eyes wide.
“He wasn’t a Roman, but yes, he did,” replied Loukas. “He even read the part that speaks directly about him: a part of the beast from the earth. And he read the number.”
Artemas and Hermas were unable to speak.
“It’s all right,” laughed Loukas. “Not everyone knows who six hundred and sixty six refers to! He didn’t know what he was reading. If he had he would never have let me go on my way. However, we do need to be more careful. We can’t afford to be picked up by someone with a better head for numbers.”
By this time they were walking again towards Thyatira. They would not get there that night, but Loukas knew a place where they might be able to stay the night. It was already getting dark when they finally stumbled wearily into a little road-side hamlet, whose only reason for existence, it appeared, was to provide service to hungry travellers. It was only because he was looking for it that Loukas located the small outline of a fish carved into a mud brick in the wall of a ramshackle house on the outskirts of the hamlet.
“Here we are,” he said to his friends. “We will be safe here.”
He knocked on the door. After a moment, he caught a flicker of movement in a window to his right, but turning towards it he could see nothing more. Then the door opened quickly.
“Come in, come in,” said a man quietly. “Quick, before anyone sees you.”
Loukas, Hermas and Artemas hurried inside, and found themselves in a very small house with an old man and his wife.
“Loukas, son of Theseus, we have been expecting you,” the old man said gravely.
“Abram Bar Iudah, it has been a long time,” replied Loukas with a smile. “Greetings to you, and to your family. May I introduce to you my friends Hermas and Artemas.”
“Welcome to our humble home,” said Abram, warmly giving each of them in turn a double-handed shake.
“You say you were expecting us?” asked Artemas.
“Yes, indeed,” replied Abram seriously. “I am afraid you are being sought by the authorities.”
“The Romans?” asked Hermas. “They had Loukas today but let him go. They can’t be seeking us too carefully.”
Abram looked shocked to hear their news. “Well, perhaps they didn’t know it was you that they are seeking, but they are seeking you nonetheless. You see there have been outbreaks of what the authorities are calling civil rebellion. These outbreaks have so far been localised to Ephesus and Smyrna, but it appears that there have been more and more cases of people who are refusing to perform the rites before the statue of the emperor. And the Romans are looking for whoever is responsible for spreading such sedition. And that is you three, unless I am very much mistaken.”
There was a stunned silence. Eventually, Loukas spoke: “We are not even half way and already it looks as though it will be impossible to finish.”
“ ‘Whatever is impossible for man is possible for God,’ ” quoted Abram with a smile.[44]
Loukas smiled, too. “You are right. We are in God’s hands, indeed.” Then turning to his friends, he exclaimed, “By the way, did you know that Abram used to live in Jerusalem?”
The smile slowly faded from the old man’s face.
“Yes, it’s true. I used to live in Ephesus, too, you see. So Loukas and I go way back. And, yes, I was in Jerusalem before…” Abram’s voice cracked, and he could barely force the words out. “… before the sun was darkened and the moon faded away and the stars fell from the sky. But we had the word of Iēsus himself, that the unthinkable would happen again: that Jerusalem would fall. So we fled when we had the chance. But I cannot bear to recall the glory of the city and its temple and know that not one stone now rests upon another…”
Loukas placed his arm around the old man’s shoulders. “Abram, my brother, there will be a new Jerusalem one day. Let me describe it to you.” Then taking out the scroll, Loukas wound it through to near the end and began reading:
“ ‘Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’[45]”
Abram’s eyes were still full of tears, but he was smiling again.
“So this is the scroll that is causing so much trouble. I think you had better wind it back to the beginning and start again…”
Loukas sighed. It looked as though it was going to be a long night.
“It’s just not here!”
Dima slapped his hand on a bench located in one of the small sheds adjoining his grandmother’s dacha. Assorted papers and broken bits and pieces of what must have once been a highly complicated engine went flying. Ice crystals dropped off the windows of the shed, and outside, birds startled by the sudden noise flew off through the forest calling anxiously.
Natasha sighed. “I think you are right,” she said, resignedly. “We really have looked everywhere this time.”
“So what do we do now?”
Natasha looked around at the disordered piles of books and old Communist newspapers, boxes of ancient car-parts and empty jam jars.
“Let’s go inside and get warmed up. I think it might even be time to eat.”
Dima was rubbing the hand he had slapped the bench with. The cold had made it hurt rather more than he had anticipated, so Natasha’s suggestion was very agreeable.
They left the shed, Dima locking the door with a large and very rusty iron padlock, then made their way through the snow-covered garden to the back door of the dacha. Dima’s grandmother, Nadezhda, was in the kitchen as they came in, cooking up some soup with some of the year’s last fresh vegetables. It smelt good, but was, more importantly, piping hot.
“Is it ready?” asked Dima, impatiently.
“Nearly, dear,” replied Nadezhda, with a smile. “Now, I can tell from your expressions that you did not find what you were looking for?”
“Yes, that’s right,” replied Natasha, getting in before Dima slapped something else. “I’m afraid there is no sign of the missing piece of parchment.”
Nadezhda ladled some soup into three bowls and Natasha carried them over to the table where Dima was sitting, dejectedly resting his head in his hands. When the three of them were seated at the table, Nadezhda prayed a blessing over the food and they began to eat.
“I certainly don’t remember any such thing,” said Nadezhda sadly. “Still, I didn’t know about the scroll, either. I guess they were deliberately kept hidden from prying eyes.”
“That’s a good point,” said Dima, taking a slice of rye bread from the plate in the centre of the table. “If the authorities had got their hands on them they would have destroyed them immediately.”
Nadezhda nodded, but she was frowning.
“Babushka,” asked Dima, “what’s wrong?”
Nadezhda was silent for a while, aimlessly stirring her soup. Dima’s words had stirred some unpleasant memories. Eventually, she spoke. “I’m not sure if you knew this, but I was brought up as a Christian.”
Dima almost dropped his piece of bread into his soup. “Really? I had no idea.”
“Yes,” replied Nadezhda, sadly. “It’s true. We were Christians; at least my parents were until things started getting very difficult for them. I can only dimly recall attending a church service in our town. I must have been only five or six at the time, and I didn’t really understand any of it. And then they closed the church. It was turned into a salami factory, I think. But my father would tell us children stories from the Bible as he put us to bed. There we all were – four of us in the bed, squeezed in top to tail – eyes wide as we heard about David’s narrow escapes from an insane King Saul; or about the men of Jerusalem rebuilding the walls with one hand while carrying a bow in the other. Of course, the best stories were about Jesus. I loved hearing about the way he would heal people, how he would eat with the outcasts, and especially how he cared for little children.
“But then, when my father disappeared…” She stopped, the sudden thickening of her throat preventing further speech. Blinking back the tears, she took a deep breath and continued. “Well, let’s just say it took all of my strength to hold onto what my father had told me. I grew up a good communist to all intents and purposes. We worked on a collective farm, singing patriotic songs as we swung our scythes. But deep within, I cherished a tiny spark of rebellion: I still believed in Jesus. I never once saw a Bible during all those years. But I remembered the stories my father had told, and they kept me going.”
She paused. Dima and Natasha were staring at her, their soup and bread quite forgotten.
“I had no idea,” said Dima eventually.
“No, well, I tried a few times to tell my children those same stories, but my husband – your grandfather, Dima – didn’t like it. It wasn’t that he was an atheist; he was just plain scared. Scared that I would disappear one day like my father had.”
Natasha suddenly smiled at Nadezhda. “But now that times have changed? You attend church now, don’t you?”
“Yes, that tiny spark was not entirely extinguished, and it has been fanned into a flame these last few years. And Dima, I have been praying for your father and also for little Vityenka.” Dima had a difficult moment connecting this particular diminutive to his far-from-diminutive Uncle Victor.
They continued eating the soup for a few minutes in silence.
Finally, Dima spoke. “I wish you had had a copy of Revelation, Babushka. It would have helped you through those long years of persecution.”
“Really?” asked Nadezhda. “I didn’t know it was about that.”
“Yes,” replied Dima. “It’s all about remaining firm in the face of strong opposition; that, in the end, God will have the victory over the persecutors and that those who stay true to Him will be vindicated and rewarded.”
“Well,” said Nadezhda after a while, “I guess that is true for me. The authorities were overthrown, and now I can attend church again in peace. And seeing your faith, Dima, is a reward in itself.”
Dima blushed.
“And as for that missing parchment: if anything turns up I will let you know.”
“Thanks, Babushka,” replied Dima with a smile.
It had taken Loukas and his two friends a lot longer than normal to get to Thyatira. Unable to use the main road for fear of entanglements with Roman patrols, they had had to make their way across country, using tracks when there were tracks that were heading their way, breaking out over the rocky countryside when there were none. It had been hot, thirsty work, but there had been a few streams along the way in which they had quenched their thirst and dampened their clothing in order to mitigate the effects of the sun.
As the day wore on, and their breakfast with Abram and his wife was nothing but a dim memory, hunger became more of a problem. Then, just as the sun was preparing for its descent behind the rim of the world, they came up over a rocky hill, and looked down upon the town of Thyatira, still quite a distance away across a wide fertile plain chequered with small farms and fields.
Thyatira was a growing city. It had had a difficult history, however. Because of its vulnerable location in a wide valley devoid of defensive possibilities, Thyatira had been overtaken by whichever army happened to be in the ascendancy at the time. As such, it had passed from one empire to the next. In some ways, this had not affected the every-day life of the people; they were happy to buy and sell from anyone. Consequently, trade was far more important than politics, and this had led to the establishment of many trade and craftsmen guilds that had more recently flourished under the Pax Romana. In particular, the Thyatiran metallurgists were renowned for having mastered the art of making fine brass, by combining copper with pure zinc metal, the distillation of which was a closely-guarded trade secret.
There was some traffic on the road leading into the city, people returning from their fields, mostly. Loukas, Artemas and Hermas joined a group and made their way through the gates without attracting any unwanted attention. Once inside, Loukas made his way to the house of a family friend, one of his father’s old trading partners. He had been welcoming, but not overly so; they had been given some food and shown a place to sleep.
Once they had eaten, Loukas sent Hermas off to make contact with the church. While they waited, Loukas sat quietly, wondering how the scroll would be received this time. Having read the scroll many times, he was well aware of the strong words he would soon be reading out to the church. He also wondered whether he would recognise ‘Jezebel’ if she happened to be there.
Hermas came back after a while to inform them that the church would come together the very next day. Knowing that he had a lot of reading to do, Loukas went to bed.
He need not have wondered: in the end it was blatantly obvious who ‘Jezebel’ was. They had been taken early to the house where the church was to gather, so they had had a good opportunity to see everyone as they came in. Those who had already arrived were talking quietly amongst themselves, every so often glancing Loukas’ way, although they were probably looking more at the scroll he held carefully in his lap.
Suddenly, without any noticeable signal, a hush had come over the crowd, and a small, worried-looking man had entered, followed by a beautiful woman, dressed in some of the richest clothes Loukas had ever seen. The man had made his way over to where the men were sitting; the woman, after giving Loukas a piercing and decidedly uncomfortable stare, glided up the back to the place where the women sat, where she was given the prime seat.
This appeared to be the impetus to begin. One of the elders stood up to pray and then he had nodded to Loukas. Loukas had the scroll ready, so he began to read.
“ ‘The revelation of Iēsus Christos, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place…’ ”
It was very strange. Loukas felt that everyone in the room was focused not on the scroll, but on the beautiful woman’s reactions to the scroll. If she nodded and smiled at the description of Iēsus, then they did too. But Loukas could sense the delay.
In fact, he was finding it difficult to read. He kept wanting to look up and see if she was watching him. He knew the words quite well now, so when he did look up from the scroll, of course she was watching him. Perhaps she was the only one in the room doing so; everyone else was watching her. But her gaze was disconcerting. It was worse than the sun that had beat down on them all day yesterday as they had traversed the rocky hills. There was something in the way her beautiful mouth curled up at the edges in the semblance of a smile. She really was beautiful; he could not deny it, despite all his feelings for Iounia.
There was only one point where the members of the church reacted without reference to the beautiful woman. It was in the description of Iēsus, when Ioanneis described his feet ‘like bronze glowing in a furnace’. Ioanneis had used the very word that the Thyatiran metallurgists had coined to refer to their special brass. Loukas sensed a murmur of pleasure from a few, presumably metal workers who well knew the brightness of this particular metal when it is heated in a furnace.
Then, just to drive the point home further, Ioanneis used the same word again in the part of the letter written just for them:
“ ‘To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and your faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.’[46]”
At each compliment, she had nodded her head knowingly, as though she was taking credit for them personally.
“ ‘Nevertheless, I have this against you…’ ”
Loukas felt his voice falter slightly. He took a deep breath and continued.
“ ‘You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess.’[47]”
There was an audible indrawing of breath on the part of many members of the congregation. But the woman herself did not bat an eyelid. Her smile remained fixed on her face, although Loukas was aware that the nodding had stopped.
“ ‘By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food offered to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teachings and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, I will not impose any other burden on you. Only hold on to what you have until I come.’[48]”
Loukas had been quite prepared for a walkout, such as had occurred in the church in Pergamum. He had not been prepared for a wall of silence. The beautiful woman just sat there, staring at Loukas, that perpetual smile goading him to respond in some way. He tore his eyes away and willed them to focus on the words of the scroll.
“ ‘To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations – He will rule them with an iron sceptre; he will dash them to pieces like pottery – just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’[49]”
Somehow, Loukas kept reading. He knew that many of the people listening to him would reject the message, simply because this woman would reject it. She called herself a prophetess, but clearly she was not speaking any words from God, not if God had inspired Ioanneis to write the scroll. And Loukas trusted Ioanneis.
There must be some in the church that were listening, and for that faithful remnant, Loukas read on. Afterwards, when Loukas finished reading and had begun to wind the scroll back to the beginning, the beautiful woman had simply stood up, and quietly left the room, this time followed by the small, worried man, and quite a few other members of the congregation.
One of the elders of the church, a man by the name of Apollos, came over to Loukas and his friends. “Thank-you, Loukas,” he said softly. “Thank-you for reading Ioanneis’ scroll. It has much to say to us.”
Loukas glanced over in the direction the woman had left; Apollos noticed.
“Yes, that was our prophetess,” Apollos said with a sigh. “Her name isn’t Jezebel, by the way. It’s Dorkas, and she’s from the wealthy Hargas family. Dealers in purple cloth, which explains the wealth. But her followers refer to her as ‘The One Who Hears’, which is all very mysterious, and not a little pretentious, if you ask me. Basically, she claims to receive special knowledge from God.”
“What sort of knowledge?” asked Hermas.
“Well, all sorts of things. She has revealed hidden sins in a few people in the church, some of which were later confirmed. That was a bit scary, actually. Had even me worried that God would bring to light some horrible sin that I hadn’t done.” Apollos was smiling as he said this. “She has occasionally shared an encouraging word during our gatherings.”
“That doesn’t seem too bad,” Loukas said, frowning. “Perhaps Ioanneis went too far?”
At this Apollos shook his head. “Oh no,” he replied. “Ioanneis was absolutely correct. At least one of her deep secrets is truly not from God: she has been teaching that participation in the guild feasts is allowable for Christians.”
“Oh, not that again,” exclaimed Artemas. “The Nicolaitans were teaching that in Pergamum.”
“So I have heard, and this scroll confirmed it. Yes, I think she is considered one of their leaders.”
“So, she is not actually encouraging sexual immorality?” asked Hermas.
“No,” answered Apollos. “But just as Jezebel seduced Ahab and the rest of Israel into worshipping the Canaanite gods, this woman is seducing members of the church into worshipping Satan through their participation in these temple feasts. And idolatry is a form of immorality when the church is supposed to be the bride of Christos.”
There was silence for a while, and then Apollos spoke again. “However, this letter from Ioanneis has also convicted me. We have allowed Dorkas to remain within the church, even though we knew that what she was advocating was not right. I believe the time has come to confront her directly. If she is willing to repent, then so be it. But, if she will not listen to the voice of Iēsus speaking to her through a true prophet then she will be excommunicated. I have no wish to suffer intensely with her in her bed of suffering…”
Loukas smiled quietly to himself. It looked like the immediate future of this church would not be easy, but they would make it in the end. The heresy of syncretism would not continue to find a foothold here.
It was the opening seconds of New Years Day. Dima, Natasha and Marina were standing out in the cold, their winter coats wrapped tightly around their bodies, hats pulled down warmly over their ears, as a little way off Yevgeny stooped over to light the fuse of some fireworks. He was apparently successful, for he came jogging over to them, before quickly turning around to watch. All around them the sound of Russians ushering in the New Year could be seen and heard. And then, their own contribution was added to the light and noise: one after the other, more than a dozen brilliant balls of fire were shot high into the air above them before exploding into a million pieces of shimmering light accompanied by an electrifying and almost deafening sizzle. The last few seemed to speed up and the climax came as three went off almost simultaneously.
Dima realised he had been shouting “Hoorah!” as each firework had exploded, and suddenly he felt a little embarrassed. But no one seemed to have noticed. In fact, now he came to think about it, they had all been doing the same thing. Turning to Natasha, he gave her a big hug and a kiss. Then, he gave Marina and Yevgeny a hug and the traditional New Year greeting: “S Novym godom!”
With a shiver, Natasha exclaimed, “That’s enough. Let’s get inside!”
Everyone agreed. The temperature was around minus fifteen – not horribly cold, but cold enough. With the occasional flash of firework-light illuminating the path, they made their way across the snowy area in front of Dima & Natasha’s building. Within a few minutes they were removing their coats inside their apartment, ready to drink something to warm themselves up again.
Once everyone had a cup of tea or coffee made to their exacting specifications, Yevgeny posed a question to everyone: “What are your plans for this new year?”
There was a brief silence as everyone started thinking of something deep and profound to say. From outside could be heard the muffled bangs as the impromptu and unofficial fireworks display continued.
Marina was first.
“I am looking forward to the birth of our first child,” she said, simply.
This was news; Natasha leapt up, shrieking excitedly, to give Marina a special hug while Dima solemnly shook Yevgeny’s hand.
“Congratulations,” he said to Yevgeny.
“Thanks,” he replied. “I, too, am looking forward to that occasion. It will bring many changes to us as a couple, but nothing we cannot face with God’s help and presence. It is also hard to separate a man from his work, so I am also looking forward to seeing what God will do in our church. We have much to be thankful for, but still many challenges to face.”
Natasha was back in her seat by this time. “Well, we are not expecting any additions to our family just yet,” she said, looking sideways at Dima with a smile. Then she looked rather serious. “Actually, I have been thinking about my parents recently. My father is drinking again, and my mother has basically kicked him out. They really need to become Christians, but I just can’t see it happening, and I don’t know what I can do. So I have been praying for them, and I want to visit them when I can.” However, Natasha’s parents lived in a town a few days train-ride from St. Petersburg, so a visit was a serious undertaking, one that did not occur too frequently.
“We will also pray for them,” said Yevgeny, as Marina nodded beside him. “And for you.”
It was now Dima’s turn to speak.
“You all know that I have become rather obsessed by the book of Revelation.” There was some laughter. “Well, I want to try and find a way of making the book more accessible to the church here in Russia. I’m not sure if I will write a book, or start a web site, or what. But I know that in the past, the church would really have benefited from having a proper understanding of Revelation. And who knows if the church may need it sometime in the future.”
“Indeed,” said Yevgeny, heartily. “And that reminds me! I have a little Christmas present for you.” He got up, went over to his satchel and pulled out a present wrapped in cheery Christmas paper. “Here, I thought you might find this interesting.”
“Thanks,” replied Dima, taking the present. He tore off the paper and found himself holding a book: The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey.
“It’s a bit of a classic,” said Yevgeny. “Hal Lindsay wrote this book in 1970, in which he predicted that the return of Jesus would happen within about 40 years after 1948. As you may have noticed, Jesus didn’t return in 1988, so Hal Lindsey has revised his book quite a few times since. What you are holding, though, is his first version, which makes for very interesting reading.”
“Wow,” said Dima, “How did you get hold of it?”
“Amazon.com,” replied Yevgeny with a shrug.
“Well, thanks again,” said Dima. “I look forward to reading it.”
“And now,” said Yevgeny, solemnly, “let’s commit this year to God.”
They all bowed their heads as Yevgeny prayed. All in all, it was a good way to start the year.
Sergius Maximus sat with his head resting on his hands, deep in thought, staring at the document in front of him. It was yet another missive from Ephesus detailing the increasing signs of rebellion. Another apparent atheist, a man from a town not far from Ephesus, had refused to perform the sacred rites at the altar of Domitianus. The local authorities were holding him, awaiting further instructions. Well, he would write back and say the same as he had said every other time during these last few weeks: give the man one last chance to recant, and if he still refuses to pay homage to Caesar, then let him be executed as an example to other potential trouble-makers. Of course, the actual deed would need to be delayed until the proconsul could make his way to Ephesus to oversee proceedings, but without a recantation the end result was assured.
But something was troubling him. Looking back over his records, he could see a pattern. The first problems had occurred in Ephesus, and interestingly enough they had started not long after he had himself passed through the city. Then soon after that, Sextus Flavius, an old friend from their school days in Rome, had written from Smyrna to report a problem that had just occurred there. True, the details had been different, but the end result had been the same. In Smyrna, one of the Jewish leaders had denounced a number of people who had been attending the Jewish synagogue. This man had claimed that these people were not in fact Jews, and therefore should not be considered exempt from the sacred rites. When these people had been brought to the local temple, they had also refused to worship the emperor even when faced with death. Sergius had written back to Sextus commending him on his handling of the situation.
And now it was even happening here in Pergamum! Admittedly, a few of those who were brought before the courts recanted and performed the sacrifices, but there were still a few who had not. And they had been Roman citizens! But the proconsul had been quick to react. The sound of the heads of these atheists hitting the ground after being severed from their necks by the sword stroke of the executioner had been ringing in his ears for many days.
What was going on? Was there some hidden rebellion that was slowly making its way northward up the coast of Asia? Was there anything that could connect the three cities, something that would explain the pattern?
“Sergius Maximus!”
He jumped. A scribe had entered the room without him noticing and was standing in front of him.
“Yes, what is it?” he replied, somewhat more sharply than he had anticipated.
“The proconsul has summoned you,” said the man, his face pale.
Sergius Maximus blinked, suddenly fearful. He had been looking forward to his new posting, but the proconsul had turned out to be a difficult master. Proconsuls in general were always worth avoiding; they were only ever in their position for a year, during which time they tried to gather as much wealth as they could for themselves. This particular proconsul was no different in that respect. But he was also a hard man, dangerously bordering on cruel, liable to respond quickly and sometimes rashly. It was never a pleasant experience to be in the same room with him, especially if you were the one he was conversing with. He wondered what had happened that had necessitated his immediate presence.
“Very well, I am on my way,” said Sergius Maximus.
He got up, straightened his robes, and neatened the loose curls of his hair as well as he could. It paid to remove any possible distractions, just in case they resulted in a harsh word at the worst possible time. Then, he followed the scribe out of the room and along a corridor. They went outside, through an atrium in which a garden had been planted. As they passed by, Sergius Maximus caught the scent of some flowers that were making the most of the hot summer day.
Eventually they came to the offices of the proconsul. Here, the scribe stopped, obviously unwilling to enter if it was not truly necessary, and indicated the open doorway with a small gesture. Sergius Maximus took a deep breath and stepped within.
He found that he was not alone with the proconsul; there was a soldier standing in front of the man. So far so good: this could only serve to dilute the proconsul’s attentions somewhat.
“Ah, Sergius Maximus! It has been too long,” said the proconsul, languidly. He was reclining, lazily feasting on some roasted meats, his chubby fingers dripping with fat.
“Indeed, sir,” replied Sergius Maximus. The other man, he now saw from his uniform, was a decurion. “You summoned me?”
“Yes, yes,” the proconsul’s eyes flicked sideways at the decurion. “I wanted you to hear the latest news from Smyrna.”
The soldier took this as his cue. He began haltingly, but gained confidence as he continued to speak.
“Well, sirs, we have been hearing a little about the recent rebellions.” Sergius Maximus was suddenly very alert. “At first we thought it was just confined to us, a local difficulty involving the Jews. But then we heard about Ephesus, and then more recently about the executions here in Pergamum. And it reminded me of something I saw recently. Actually, it reminded me of someone.
“A couple of weeks ago, before the seditions began, I was on duty at the city’s north gate. It was near the end of our night’s shift that we stopped three young men for routine questioning. One of them said they were scouting out trade opportunities for his father, and that they were headed to Pergamum. One of my soldiers recognised the name of the trader in question – someone big in dates, apparently. I’m not sure what triggered my suspicion at the time. Maybe it was the slight pauses the boy made before answering the questions; maybe it was the way the three of them kept glancing at each other. Whatever it was, once they went on their way, I ran up onto the city walls and kept them in sight for as long as possible. When one of them looked back towards me, well, it was all I could do to keep myself from running after them and bringing them back for further questioning. But, when I stopped to think about it, guilty looks and thoughtful pauses just weren’t reason enough to miss my breakfast.”
The proconsul, clearly one who enjoyed the delights afforded by food, nodded heartily. Encouraged by this, the decurion continued.
“And then when we started hearing about the rebellions in Ephesus and Pergamum, well, it made me think.”
“Why?” asked Sergius Maximus with a frown, “What had the boy to do with Ephesus?”
“Well, that’s where he said he was from.”
Sergius Maximus was suddenly thoughtful: someone from Ephesus, in Smyrna, on their way to Pergamum, all before the troubles started. It sounded very promising.
“Decurion,” he asked sternly, “You said one of your men recognised the merchant’s name. Do you recall it now?”
“Yes, sir,” replied the soldier. “It was Theseus. It sort of stuck in my mind, what with my suspicions and all. And, of course, the original Theseus founded Smyrna!”
“Proconsul, I have no further questions,” said Sergius Maximus. “This man can be relieved.”
“Certainly. Soldier, to barracks. I will send for you if the need arises.”
The decurion bowed to both men, first a long and respectful bow to the proconsul followed by a slight dip in Sergius Maximus’ direction. When he had left the room, the proconsul asked, “Well, what do you make of it?”
“Sir, that soldier let slip through his fingers dangerous men. If my suspicions are correct then it appears that those are the very men who have been deliberately inciting rebellion, first in Ephesus, then in Smyrna and finally here in Pergamum. Who knows where they might be now.”
“Did he, indeed?” replied the proconsul slyly, more concerned with the known omission of the decurion than the unknown rebels. “I will have him confined on a starvation diet. We’ll see if he comes to regret that fateful breakfast! Thank-you, Sergius, you have been most helpful as usual. It was surely worthwhile having you transferred from Patmos.”
It was then, with the mention of the name Patmos, that a light went on in Sergius Maximus’ mind. Lucius, the son of a merchant! From Ephesus, and yet he had been here in Pergamum not seven days ago! He had said that he had come from Ephesus, and you could not easily get here from there without passing through Smyrna. Could this be the one? He had been alone, but any companions could have been elsewhere in the city at the time.
All this passed through his mind in a flash.
“Sir,” he said to the proconsul. “May I be excused? I need to set a few things in motion.”
“As you wish. I leave this in your capable hands. If further sedition can be prevented then I can assure you, you will be rewarded. Oh, and send in that flunky as you go, would you?”
“Certainly, sir.”
Sergius Maximus bowed, then took his leave. When he saw the messenger, it was Sergius’ turn to make the small gesture. The man’s face grew even paler, but he quickly went in to the proconsul. It clearly did not pay to keep the great man waiting too long.
As he hurried back to his room, he was mentally planning his next moves. First, of course, he would have Pergamum searched, in case Lucius was still in the city. He doubted this very much, though. This messenger of rebellion clearly had a plan of attack, a route whereby he would stir up the masses against the emperor. But where would he have gone? Further north? He would have to send out messages in a number of different directions just in case, with Lucius’ name and description, as well as a description of his travelling companions. Oh, yes, he would need the decurion’s help for that. He could also check if his description matched that of Lucius. Perhaps it would be best to get to the decurion before the proconsul had started disciplinary actions…
Second, he would send a message through to Ephesus to arrest the date merchant Theseus. Maybe he would have something helpful to say.
A week after the New Year celebrations, Dima and Natasha’s phone rang.
“Can you get that?” Dima called out. He was trying to tape around the edge of their windows to stop the frigid air from coming in. He heard Natasha pick up the phone.
“Allo... Oh, hi Zhenya. How are you?… Yes, he’s here. Is something wrong?… What?!?… No, I’ll get him…Dima?”
But Dima was already by her side. He took the phone.
“Zhenya, it’s Dima. What’s wrong?”
“Dima, someone has released the scroll on the Internet!”
“What do you mean? Dr. Williams was planning on doing that at some point, I think, but he didn’t mention anything the last time I saw him.”
“No, you don’t understand. This isn’t an official thing. There’s been a leak.”
“A leak?”
“Yes, somehow someone must have got a hold of the scans. They have placed them on a web site, and they are providing ‘commentary’. But, I use the word loosely…”
“Zhenya, what is the site? I’ve got to check it out?”
“You’ll love this: www.ephesusscroll.com. Catchy, yes?”
Dima had a mobile handset, so still holding the phone he sat down at his computer and started up a web browser.
“OK, I’m typing in the address…”
After pressing the Enter key, the web site quickly appeared; their ADSL connection was money well spent.
“Oh, goodness,” he breathed.
It was slow going, reading the English text of the web site, but he could quickly see that the scans were in fact exactly like the ones he had received from Dr. Williams.
“Do you see what they are claiming?” asked Yevgeny. “In the middle of the home page: they say these scans were taken from the original scroll of Revelation!”
“But how could they know that!” exclaimed Dima.
“That’s not the worst of it: they also say that this copy of Revelation has annotations made by the author himself: extra clues as to the meaning of some of the symbols.”
“But that’s not true! There are no annotations, not if this is our scroll.” Dima was puzzled and angry at the same time. “Maybe it’s not ours after all.”
Then, he noticed the caption in the title bar of the web browser: ‘Scans and translations of the papyrus scroll of Revelation (Ephesus: April 1885)’
“Oh no, it is our scroll. There is no way anyone would pick a date for the scroll in 1885. You would use the date the scroll was originally written or the date it was found, and anyone claiming to have found a scroll now would use a modern date, surely! No, this is our scroll, and I think it came from me.”
“What?”
“Look at the caption, Zhenya. Those are the very words Dr. Williams wrote on the DVD of scans just before he gave it to me, the DVD that was in my player when it was stolen! Someone must have checked out what was on the disc before throwing it away…”
“A thief in the Metro recognised the importance of the scans?”
“Look, I know it sounds a little dubious. But how else do you explain all this?”
“I guess.”
“Does Dr. Williams know yet?”
“I haven’t told him.”
“Well, let me do it,” said Dima wearily. “I want to hear his reaction.”
“All right, good talking to you Dima. Bye!”
“Bye!”
After locating Dr. Williams’ number, Dima called him up. When he heard about the web site, he was stunned. After calming down a little, he started thinking about what they should do in response.
“What gets me so mad is that we were nearly ready with our own web site,” Dr Williams said. “I guess the time has come to announce the existence of the scroll. We have been granted permission to put it on display at the Hermitage in one of their special exhibit rooms. We were just liaising with the Russian Orthodox Church about the opening ceremony…”
“Won’t people be a little incredulous, since this web site has already claimed finding the scroll?”
“Well, we have the scroll – they don’t! So I think in the end there won’t be any problems. But in the mean time, we will have to respond to their wild claims that the scroll has been annotated.”
“Indeed!”
“By the way, who do they identify as the Beast?” asked Dr. Williams.
“Oh,” replied Dima. “I haven’t looked. Hold on a second…” He was sitting back in front of his computer again, so he quickly clicked around on the web site for a while until he found the right spot.
“Ah, here it is. They claim that in the margin next to Revelation 13:1 John also wrote ‘the Antichrist who rules the church from Rome’ so I am guessing they are not inclined towards the Catholic Church.”
“Well, Dima, as you well know there is no such annotation. In fact, the word ‘Antichrist’ does not appear in the book of Revelation at all. That is just one of the inaccuracies inherent in the pre-millennial interpretation of Revelation: they piece together parts of the Bible like it was a jigsaw puzzle. But they end up taking things out of context and forcing them into contexts in which they do not belong. The concept of ‘Antichrist’ comes from the letters of John where it refers to false teaching. In fact, the second letter talks of many ‘antichrists’ – many false teachers at work in the church. I always find it ironic that when these people teach about the Antichrist in Revelation it actually makes them antichrists!”
Dima chuckled. “Actually, I am reading Hal Lindsey’s Late, Great Planet Earth at the moment.”
“And what do you make of it?”
“Well, I’d sort of like to get together with you and Zhenya, if you have time. I would like to talk about it face to face.”
“Dima, I would be delighted. Name a time and place.”
The journey to Sardis was actually uneventful. It was almost anticlimactic given the problems they had had with Romans on the previous legs. But just after the sun had passed its highest point in the sky, Loukas, Hermas and Artemas turned a corner in the road, and there in the distance before them was the stronghold of Sardis, built on a high plateau of crumbling white rock that jutted out from the side of a very steep hill. Only a narrow spit of land connected the plateau to the hill, making this stronghold almost impregnable. It towered over the rest of the town, which spread out across the plain beneath, trade roads disappearing into the distance in many directions.
In the entire history of the city the stronghold had only been taken twice. The first to do so had been Cyrus the Persian ruler, capturing King Croesus alive in the process. Indeed, some thought that he had even rescued the king from an attempted self-immolation. The second, and to date last, person to take the city had been Antiochus the Third. In both times, the city had fallen because of the negligence of the watchers on the walls; thinking that their stronghold was entirely impregnable, their complacency had been their downfall.
As they slowly approached the walls of the city, Loukas could not help but look up at the citadel and marvel. As they got closer he could even make out the signs of the great earthquake that had struck Sardis more than 70 years before: here, a cliff-face with marble blocks scattered about the base; there, a deep crack in the rock, carefully bricked over to prevent further subsidence. The town itself, once they had passed without incident through the barely guarded gates, was bustling with activity. The Agora was in full swing, with people loudly proclaiming the superiority of their products. Men carrying large swathes of material were haggling from within the deep folds of what they were selling, their faces almost completely obscured by the layers of cloth. Loukas and his friends made their way through the crowd, until they came to a small stall selling a variety of food-stuffs. It was manned by a good friend of Loukas’ father, a man that Loukas and his family called Probus, essentially a Latin nick-name derived from his reputation of being a good man. Loukas had often made the journey from Ephesus to Sardis in order to assist with trade between the two men, money and goods exchanging hands in both directions.
Probus smiled briefly when he saw Loukas, then quickly called behind him for his son. A young boy came out of the storage room behind the stall as Probus came out from behind the heavily laden wooden table to embrace Loukas. Without saying anything further, he hurried Loukas and his friends through the labyrinthine streets of Sardis until they came to a small doorway near the end of a quiet lane-way. With a none-too-subtle glance back up the street he quickly opened the door and physically pushed them into the darkened room within. Only after he had opened the shutters into a delightfully decorated inner courtyard, where Loukas could see two of Probus’ younger children playing, did he finally speak to them. Even then, he spoke very quietly.
“Loukas, it is good to see you. I was afraid that I would not.”
“Why were you so worried?” replied Loukas. “How could you possibly know that I was in any danger?”
Probus paused briefly, before moving aside a curtain that had been blocking off a side-room. There, lying on a floor mat, was Markos, Loukas’ younger brother. He looked like he was barely alive, but Probus quietly assured them he was merely sleeping. Loukas longed to speak with him but the boy obviously needed to rest. Probus let the curtain to fall back before he continued.
“Markos has travelled from Ephesus almost without stopping, and arrived here in Sardis last night under cover of darkness. After telling me what has been occurring in Ephesus in recent days, he collapsed into bed and has not moved since.”
“News from Ephesus,” breathed Loukas, his eyes wide. “What did he say? How is my family? Iounia?”
Loukas could tell from the look on Probus’ face that the news was not good.
“There have been many arrests,” began Probus quietly, “though not your father, Loukas,” he added when Loukas started. “He was taken in for questioning, but released a little later on. I think your family’s wealth helped with that. However, since then a number of other people were denounced by their guilds when they refused to participate in guild feasts. Markos tried to explain why, but he was exhausted and he didn’t make much sense, to tell you the truth. Something about a scroll with terrifying beasts, and – what was it? – seven letters from Ioanneis? And you, Loukas; he said you were involved, and would soon be arriving here in Sardis, that is, if you had not already passed through. I assured him that I had not seen you.
“Then, this morning, I get a visit from a Roman official asking me questions about my involvement with your family, telling me to inform the local garrison the instant I ever lay eyes on you. So when you show up as bold as brass in the broad daylight of the mid-afternoon sun without so much as a cloak to conceal your face... well, I just don’t know what to think.”
Loukas looked a little ashamed. “Well, we have had some interactions with the Romans, but on the whole they have not been looking for me specifically,” he said, slightly puzzled.
“Well, they certainly referred to you by name,” replied Probus firmly.
“Please, sir,” interrupted Hermas, hesitantly. “Did Markos mention who had been arrested?”
Probus shrugged. “Yes, but I don’t recall the names...”
He was interrupted by a voice from the other side of the curtain. “Is that you, Hermas?” It appeared that Markos was awake after all, for the curtain was pushed aside and the tired young man stepped into the larger room.
“Markos, my brother!” cried Loukas, as he jumped forward to embrace him. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, Loukas,” Markos replied, “I am fine. But” – he released Loukas, and turned to face Hermas – “I’m afraid I have bad news for you: your father was one of those arrested.”
Shock registered on Hermas’ face, to be quickly followed by determination.
“I need to return to Ephesus,” he declared. Turning to Loukas, he said, “Do you mind? Can you continue on with just Artemas?”
“Of course I can,” Loukas replied, feeling a sudden surge of fear in his stomach. “You need to be with your family.”
Markos spoke again. “The church in Ephesus felt the same, which is why they sent me to try and find you. It is by God’s grace that our paths have crossed so quickly.”
“Are you to return to Ephesus, too?” asked Hermas.
“Yes, we can set off tomorrow. But I am very much afraid that I will be unable to go as quickly as my outward journey.”
“Actually, this may work out better for Loukas and I,” added Artemas. “If the Romans are looking for three travellers, then two travellers will be less likely to arouse any suspicions.”
“That is true,” nodded Probus. “But remember, that Roman asked for you by name. They will presumably have a description to match, if they are doing their job properly. Merely disguising yourself as a twosome may not be sufficient.”
There was a thoughtful silence.
“Well, why are the Romans after you, Loukas?” asked Probus eventually. “What have you done now? And what has it got to do with guilds and arrests in Ephesus?”
“How quickly can you call the church together?” asked Loukas, by way of reply. “I have a scroll to read.” He reached into his carry bag and pulled out the scroll in its protective cover. “This is the answer to all your questions.”
When Loukas stood up holding the scroll there was an immediate silence. The church of Sardis met in the house of a wealthy man, a God-fearer who had worshipped in the synagogue of Sardis before responding to the good news proclaimed by the Christians. As Loukas began to read, every eye in the place was fixed on his face.
When he had read the first four of the sections directed to specific churches, Loukas glanced up at Probus and saw a look of understanding there: the mystery of the seven letters of Ioanneis was now being explained. With a deep breath, Loukas launched into the fifth section.
“ ‘To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.’[50]”
There was some murmuring among the people present. The allusion to the history of the city had been hard to miss: just as the city had been taken twice through the negligence of those who should have been watching, so here Iēsus was threatening to come upon them with judgment if they did not repent of their hypocrisy.
But what was their sin? Why were they considered almost dead in the eyes of God? Loukas could see these questions in their angry eyes. He kept reading. From his recent experiences he knew that most questions were answered by hearing the scroll as a whole.
“ ‘Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’[51]”
It was only afterwards, when Loukas had read through the entire scroll and had then retired to Probus’ house to rest, that he was able to learn more of the recent goings on in the church. Tullius, one of the church leaders, had come back with them.
“Yes,” nodded Tullius solemnly, “it was hard to hear, but Ioanneis is right. We are barely alive as a church. In fact, I sometimes wonder if we even are a church.”
Loukas was puzzled. “Really? From what I hear, you do much for the poor in your city.”
“Yes, that would be our reputation for being alive.”
“But you haven’t followed the teachings of Nicolaus.”
“Well, we haven’t needed to! We are in no danger of falling into the hands of the Romans. Most of those in the church are still listed in the Jewish register, so they are exempt from participation in the Imperial Cult. Even the guilds are happy to turn a blind eye in our direction, as long as we remain under the auspices of the synagogue. The Jews here in Sardis have a lot of power and influence.”
“But what about the accursed Benedictions?” asked Artemas.
Tullius looked decidedly uncomfortable. “Actually, I think that may be the problem. You see, most of us have just gone along with it.”
There was a moment’s silence as Loukas and his friends considered what it would mean for Christians to utter the words ‘May the Nazarenes and the Minim suddenly perish, and may they be blotted out of the book of Life and not enrolled along with the righteous’. Every week they would be bringing down God’s curse upon themselves, and indeed, upon all Christians everywhere!
“All of you?” asked Loukas in a small voice.
“No,” replied Tullius wearily, “there were a few who couldn’t do it. And they were struck off the synagogue register as a result.”
Suddenly the words of the scroll made more sense to Loukas. These few were the ones dressed in white. They may have been blotted out of the Jews’ book of life – the synagogue register with its security from the threat of the Imperial Cult – but they had definitely not been struck out of the true Book of Life, the only one that could guarantee security when it mattered: before the great, white throne.[52]
“So now you know the truth,” said Tullius. “And you know that we face a difficult choice: to remain within the synagogue and risk Iēsus’ threat of judgment, or to separate ourselves from the Jews and risk retaliation from the Romans when they discover we are adherents of an illegal sect that refuses to show obeisance to the emperors. And to be honest, I am not sure of the outcome.”
“But what about you?” asked Loukas.
Tullius paused. “I want to be dressed in white. I want Iēsus to acknowledge my name before God and the angels. And if it means dying at the hands of the Romans then so be it.”
Such talk brought a dark look to Hermas’ face. Loukas happened to notice, and reached out to place his hand on Hermas’ shoulder.
“Do not be afraid, Hermas,” he said. “You will soon be with your family. Iēsus will give you strength, no matter what happens.” Inside, though, he did not feel as positive as his words.
“When will you leave, Loukas?” asked Probus.
“We leave tomorrow as well. You will have to send someone to Thyatira to get a copy of the scroll. There is no time for me to wait for you to copy the original. I must get to Philadelphia and Laodicea as soon as possible. For my heart is in Ephesus and I am greatly troubled.”
“God will go with you,” said Probus solemnly.
“Amen,” replied Loukas.
The day of the Revelation Symposium, when it finally arrived, was a cold one. The temperature outside was -26 degrees Celsius. But inside the small hall in which Yevgeny’s church met, it was a mild 20 degrees, thanks to the hot water pumping through the wall radiators. Dr. Williams had been surprised to find more than twenty people sitting in chairs when he was led by Dima through the audience to a row of seats at the front in which Yevgeny was already sitting. Yevgeny stood up as they approached and welcomed Dr. Williams.
“Greetings, Dr. Williams,” he exclaimed enthusiastically. “Thanks for coming out on this chilly day!”
“Call me Ed,” replied Dr. Williams, absently. “I wasn’t expecting a crowd...”
“Oh, sorry about this, but when Dima mentioned you were coming to explain Revelation, well, a few of us wanted to listen in, too.” With an expansive wave of his arm, he indicated the collection of mostly young Russian university students. “So we set up this informal discussion group. Please, take a seat.”
Yevgeny remained standing.
“Thanks, too, for coming,” he said, addressing the group. “The interpretation of Revelation has become quite an item of interest in recent days, most notably thanks to Dima and Natasha’s unlikely discovery of what may yet prove to be the original scroll of Revelation in their family’s dacha. But, it must also be said, this renegade website has also brought the scroll even more to the fore. So, to get things started, I believe Dima has prepared something...”
Dima, who had also sat down in one of the chairs facing the audience now stood up as Yevgeny found his own seat.
“Yes, I have been reading a book from the early 1970’s which I have found quite fascinating. The book is The Late, Great Planet Earth and was written by a man named Hal Lindsey. Basically, to summarise his position, he claimed that the Second Coming of Christ would occur within about 40 years of the birth of the nation of Israel. In 1948 Israel was re-formed, but it wasn’t until 1967 that they captured Jerusalem, so it is possible that was the moment the clock started ticking. Anyway, as far as the end is concerned, there was only one further event required, and that was the rebuilding of the temple, which Hal Lindsey was expecting to occur at any moment.
“Now, obviously, that hasn’t happened yet, the problem being, of course, that the Dome of the Rock – an Islamic mosque – sits on the presumed site of the future temple.
“But then it gets even stranger. When Lindsey starts talking about the lead-up to the Second Coming, he actually believes the Bible predicts that Russia will attack Israel. Now, I have to be honest and say that I became really lost at this point. Dr. Williams, could you perhaps explain what is going on here?”
Dima sat down again, and Dr. Williams slowly got to his feet.
“Well, Dima, that’s an interesting place to start. Is Russia referred to in Biblical prophecies? That’s a good question. But before I answer it, I think we need to take one step back and look at Hal Lindsey’s method of Biblical interpretation.” Dr. Williams shrugged, and reached for one of the books he had placed on a small table just next to his seat. “It isn’t a unique approach to Scripture – there are plenty of others who have done the same thing. But not all openly acknowledge it.” He was flicking through his own copy of The Late, Great Planet Earth. “Ah, here we are. It’s near the start of his chapter on Israel. He briefly summarises what he calls his ‘Keys to the Prophetic Puzzle’. And I quote:
“ ‘A definite international realignment of nations into four spheres of political power had to occur in the same era as the rebirth of Israel. Each sphere of power had to be led by a certain predicted nation and allied with certain other nations. The relationships of all these factors to each other is easily determined by the following clues: first, each one of the four spheres of political power is said to be present and vitally involved with the reborn state of Israel.
“ ‘Secondly, each one of these spheres of power is a major factor in the final great war called “Armageddon,” which is to be triggered by an invasion of the new state of Israel.
“ ‘Third, each one of these spheres of power will be judged and destroyed for invading the new state of Israel, by the personal return of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ.
“ ‘It should be obvious that these predicted movements of history are interrelated in their general time of beginning and ending. This is why the prophecies can be pieced together to make a coherent picture, even though the pieces are scattered in small bits throughout the Old and New Testaments.’[53]
“End quote. It is actually quite difficult to know how to respond. Firstly, note the certainty in his statements. Secondly, if he is to be believed, then what he is saying is ‘easily determined’ and ‘obvious’! If Hal Lindsey was standing here today, I would be the first the say, ‘No, it is far from obvious!’
“However, the biggest problem is with what I call ‘jigsaw prophecy’. Lindsey even alludes to this himself when he talks about ‘the Prophetic Puzzle’; the scattered pieces of prophecy, found all over the Old and New Testaments can be pieced together to form a big picture. Actually, I have another good quotation from a book by Byron MacDonald, but for some reason I couldn’t find it in my library this morning.”
Dima, for some reason, blushed and looked somewhat ashamed.
“Fortunately,” continued Dr. Williams, “I had written it out some time ago: ‘The problem is prophecy is like a jigsaw puzzle. Throughout the Bible it is given in some large pieces, but also in many smaller pieces. What has happened is that people are confused as to what the picture looks like, so they keep trying to fit the pieces to match a picture, and too often it doesn’t work.’[54] Of course, once this particular author goes ahead and presents his picture of biblical prophecy, he argues that his picture is the correct one.
“Personally, I think they are all wrong. To me, it seems that these prophetic interpreters are bringing their big picture to the text rather than getting their picture from the text. It reminds me of those posters that when you stand close to them, you can see that they are formed from thousands of tiny photos. But if you stand far enough away, all the tiny photos blur into one image. Now, those posters are created using a special computer program. You feed in your big picture, and the program searches through millions of stock photos to create the final image. Basically, it doesn’t matter what photos it uses. The program just shrinks them down and places them somewhere in the final image so that their predominant colour appears to match its new context.
“It is the same with jigsaw prophecy. They take these scattered bits of prophecy, rip them out of their original contexts, and force them into their prophetic reconstruction. There is a good example of this on page 169,” he said, flipping through the book again. “Ah, here it is. He has a go at the United Nations for using part of Isaiah 2:4 on the wall of their building. But then he complains that the quotation has been taken out of context. What context, one may ask? Well, this is what Lindsey says: ‘The meaning of the passage speaks of the time when the Messiah would reign over the earth out of Jerusalem and judge between the nations in a visible, actual, and historic kingdom of God on earth.’[55] In other words, the millennium as constructed by Lindsey! But if you allow this argument, then you could also say that even Isaiah was using the verse out of context!
“So, what Dima has described is Hal Lindsey’s big picture, and it is very much a reconstruction based on jigsaw prophecy. He uses prophecies without any regard for their original contexts, just so long as they appear to fit into his scheme for the future. As far as Russia invading Israel is concerned, for example, he uses Ezekiel 38 and 39, Daniel 11, verses 40 through to 45, and Joel 2 verse 20.[56] And he links this battle into Revelation chapter 16 verse 16 (despite the fact that Revelation 20:8 would actually be more appropriate if it wasn’t on the wrong side of the millennium). Quite a jigsaw!
“But think about what this implies about those original prophecies. It means that only we who have all the scattered pieces can make any sense of it. For instance, I don’t think Ezekiel understood the dry bones to refer to the Jewish state formed in 1948 and then some nationwide turn to Christ at a yet-to-occur time being represented by the breath of God’s spirit coming upon the army of dead people.[57] But this is what Hal Lindsey argues.[58]
“Jigsaw prophecy gives us a very warped view of the Old Testament prophets. It makes them out to be crazy – at least that is how they must have appeared to those listening to them at the time. If Lindsey is right, how on earth could anyone have understood what they were talking about? These men must have appeared mad as they ‘channelled’ some particular piece of foretelling. It rips them right out of their own historical context.
“In contrast to this, I would argue that the prophets were highly intelligent men who believed God was leading them to say specific things to their contemporaries. They gave a commentary of past events showing where the nation of Israel had gone wrong. They spoke about such issues as justice and mercy in the present. And they spoke about the future as it related to their audience. To take their prophecies out of the original context is not just misleading, it is actually a travesty of biblical interpretation. I am sorry to have to belabour this point, but if you remember only one thing from today, may it be that you simply cannot neglect the original context of biblical prophecies.
“Now, getting back to the question of Russia, and its apparent role in bringing about Armageddon. Lindsey gets most of his material for this from Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. But these chapters follow on directly from chapter 37 with its vision of the dry bones that come together to form an army which is then breathed on by God. Given that Ezekiel was a prophet living during the time of the exile, wouldn’t his vision have been interpreted by those who heard his message as God’s promise that Israel would become a nation again, but this time it would be different since the people would have God’s Spirit within them? This is, after all, how God himself interprets the vision in verses 12 to 14.
“Then in that same chapter, God goes on to describe the newly reformed nation. It will be one nation, no longer divided into two kingdoms as it was before the exile. And the people will not defile themselves by worshipping idols. There will be a Davidic king again, and the people will follow God’s laws and decrees. They will live in the land forever, and God will make with them an everlasting covenant of peace. And God will return to dwell in his sanctuary in the midst of the people. If I was living in exile in Babylon, listening to Ezekiel repeating this message, I for one would be heartily encouraged.
“But then when we come to the enemy from the north in chapters 38 and 39, at first it seems that the idyllic life of post-exilic Israel is doomed. A terrifying army comprised of many of Israel’s traditional enemies will come against them. But, in fact, it is God’s plan. For as they step into Israel, God simply wipes them out.
“Now the true meaning of these chapters is clearly revealed towards the end. In verses 21 through to 24, God says: ‘I will display my glory among the nations, and all the nations will see the punishment I inflict and the hand I lay upon them. From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am God. And the nations will know that the people of Israel went into exile for their sin, because they were unfaithful to me. So I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their offences, and I hid my face from them.’ In other words, God is giving the nations an explanation for the Exile. It was not because the gods of the nations were more powerful. It was because the people of Israel had been so wicked. So when the Babylonians destroyed Israel, it was only because God let them. This will be proven when the future enemy from the north comes upon Israel and is instead wiped out by God.
“The words of encouragement continue in verses 25 through to 29: ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will now bring back Jacob from captivity and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name. They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid. When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will show myself holy through them in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.’
“Again, when Ezekiel spoke these words to the people of Israel living in exile, they would have assumed that these promises of God were for them, that their exile was drawing to a close, and that there would once again be a nation of Israel, but that things would be even better than before, since God’s Spirit would be on them, giving them the strength to obey God’s law. (Elsewhere, incidentally, Ezekiel talks about God taking away their hearts of stone and giving them hearts of flesh with much the same meaning.)
“Now, then, if Ezekiel’s prophecy would have been so relevant to his contemporaries, fitting so completely into the original context, why then do we get people like Hal Lindsey coming along well over 2000 years later claiming that the prophecies are actually for now? Well, I think it is mostly because these prophecies were not fulfilled literally and completely in post-exilic Israel. Once the Israelites returned from exile, things were actually rather difficult for them, as we read in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. And in fact, quite a few enemies came into Israel later on and were rather successful at attacking the Israelites. They weren’t struck down by divine intervention, despite God’s promises through Ezekiel.
“Consequently, many people today assume that since these prophecies were not fulfilled literally and completely, then there must be a future fulfilment that will fulfil the prophecies literally and completely. And thus we get Hal Lindsey’s detailed account of the War of Armageddon, and more recently the fantasy series Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and some other guy, though I have strenuously resisted reading those.
“But an insistence on a literal interpretation of prophecies does not allow for the free will of those involved. Many of the Old Testament prophecies did not come to pass because the nation of Israel was not obedient to God. In fact, we Christians would argue that many of the prophecies were fulfilled through the coming of Jesus, the Davidic King who ushered in a new covenant! As such, the prophecies can now be applied to the church. After all, did not God pour out his Spirit on the church? Did not Peter in his first sermon claim that the prophecies of Joel were being fulfilled on the day of Pentecost?[59]
“So, the short answer to your question is, ‘No, I don’t think the Bible predicts that Russia will invade Israel in the lead-up to the Second Coming of Jesus.’ I apologise for my enormously long answer, but I think it has been worthwhile since we have dealt with some interesting underlying assumptions and methods of biblical interpretation in the process.”
He sat down, and took a long drink from a glass of water sitting on the side table.
“Thank-you for that answer,” said Dima standing up. “I found it very helpful.” Then, turning to those gathered there, he asked, “Does anyone else have a question for Dr. Williams?”
There was a pause. Finally, someone up the back of the room called out, “So who or what is the Beast?”
Dr. Williams smiled.
“Ah, now that is a good question...” he said.
The hallways of Pergamum’s Law Courts had been rather busy in recent days. Sergius Maximus barely noticed, however, as he hurried distractedly from the nearby prison cells where he had been taking down a detailed confession from a seditious and atheistic Christian to preside over a case involving another one somewhat further down the legal track. Yet no matter how hard he tried – and he had certainly utilised as many of the tricks of the torturer’s trade that he had the stomach for – he was still no closer to understanding what had brought about such a steep increase in rebellion towards Rome and the emperors. He had almost reached his private chambers when a voice, calling from the other side of a pillared courtyard, cut through the general clamour of the place to gain his attention.
“Sergius Maximus! One moment, please!”
Frowning, he turned towards the voice to see his assistant Crispus pushing his way through the crowd of people who had come out to see Roman justice applied with impartiality. When Crispus finally got to him he was silently handed a rolled up document, sealed, he noticed as he broke the seal, with the sign of the garrison of Thyatira. He began reading the scroll cursorily but as he read he quickly became more and more interested. By the time he reached the end of the document, the court case he had been so eager to get to had been completely forgotten.
“When did this arrive?” he barked at his assistant.
“Not an hour ago. The messenger had arrived on horseback and had stressed its importance. I have been seeking you ever since.”
Sergius Maximus stood in thought for a moment. He needed quiet to think, and the Law Courts were not the place for quiet. He also needed to re-read this document immediately, so he needed to find a replacement judge. Back-tracking down the hallway he entered a side-room where a couple of men were reclining on couches drinking wine.
“Rufus,” he said. “I am sorry to disturb you, but I have immediate need of the quietness and sanctity that only Athena can offer. Could I trouble you to take my place in the session due to start, oh, about five minutes ago?”
“Sergius,” replied one of the men, “it would be an honour.”
He carefully placed his cup on the table in front of him, then somewhat unsteadily got to his feet. Sergius was a little annoyed to see him slightly the worse for drink, but the case was not too difficult. These people refused to offer the petty sacrifice to the emperors; they were to be given one last chance to say that Caesar was Lord; and if they still refused they were to be executed in a manner determined by their status and rank in Roman society. Rufus would be fine; he could do it in his sleep, let alone drunk.
Once he had ushered Rufus to the correct court room, he exited the Law Courts and threaded his way through the streets to the Library. Once there he quickly made his way to the reading room dominated by the beautiful Athena, goddess of wisdom. The place was as quiet as he had hoped. Reclining in the couch that faced Athena, he again opened the scroll and re-read the message:
From Gaius Fabius, Commander of the garrison of Thyatira,
To Sergius Maximus, legal envoy to the Prefect of the province of Asia.
Greetings, in the name of our Lord Domitianus. May the gods bless you with all wisdom and understanding, especially in these days of trials and tribulations.
I am writing in response to your recent missive describing three men wanted in relation to the recent rise of sedition in the province of Asia. After the descriptions had been read out to the men, one patrol leader stepped forward, saying that he had met with one of those described, the one named Lucius, although he had called himself Loukas. He reported that he had encountered this Lucius alone on the road leading from Pergamum to Thyatira, and had questioned him as to his reasons for travelling. Being not entirely satisfied by the boy’s reply, he had had his baggage searched. The boy had been travelling light. Apart from some food and a skin of water, all that he had was a scroll. The patrol leader read some of the scroll, but did not find anything incriminating, so he let the boy continue on his way.
However, in the light of your missive, he thought that you would want to know some of what was in this scroll. He assured me that at the time it sounded like nonsense, but these are some of the details that he recalls. It referred to a beast that came from the earth and made the world worship another beast that had suffered a fatal wound. He remembered something about the beast having a name that was also a number. And the number was six hundred and sixty six. Perhaps all this will mean something to you, for it means nothing to me.
We have, of course, made a thorough search for Lucius and his travelling companions, but have not found them as yet. This has been especially vexatious given the recent sudden increase in sedition in the city of Thyatira. Please inform me if there is anything specific you wish me to do.
All praise to Domitianus!
So Lucius – or should he say Loukas? – had been carrying a scroll. Could it be that this was the source of the sedition? A scroll?
And then it hit him: Lucius must have received the scroll from one of the prisoners on Patmos. Someone in exile had written a letter that was spreading rebellion around the province of Asia like wildfire. Lucius was nothing more than a messenger boy. The timing certainly fitted.
So the scroll was the key. Sergius Maximus glanced back at the commander’s letter to remind himself of the few scraps of details. Two beasts, one with a fatal wound, a name that was also a number. Hmm, not much to go on, he thought.
Wearily, he glanced up at Athena, as if willing her to provide him with inspiration. At that very moment, the sun must have come out from behind a cloud, for in that instant her head, shoulders and breasts were flooded with light. Sergius Maximus gazed up at her, breathless.
All very beautiful, but there was no flash of revelation to accompany the moment.
But then it occurred to him to try examining the problem from another angle entirely. The problem that was facing him every day was some people’s refusal to worship the emperor. And Lucius’ scroll refered to a beast that forces the world to worship some other beast. Suddenly, Sergius Maximus could see a parallel. What if that beast with the fatal wound somehow referred to the emperor? Calling him a beast was so horribly treasonous he was stunned that his brain had even suggested such a thing. But that would explain it, perhaps. By way of negative exaggeration, this scroll was persuading people not to worship the emperor, for who would want to worship a beast?
But what about the name that was a number? Clearly whoever had written the scroll in the first place had been cautious enough not to name Domitianus explicitly. But a number?
Well, he knew that every letter in the alphabet also stood for a number. If you knew the name you could certainly calculate its number. But to go back the other way was close to impossible. There were just too many options.
He grabbed a piece of parchment from a passing attendant, and began scribbling. He wrote the Latin letters of Domitianus’ name down the side of the paper, with their correlating numbers beside them. Then, with his tongue between his teeth, he slowly added them up. But the answer was not the number from the scroll. If the scroll were in Greek, though, the numbers would be different. But after a few more minutes of scribbles and calculations he had discovered he was no closer. In fact, the resulting sums were all way too high. It would have to be a short name, then. But that would rule out Domitianus which didn’t make any sense.
He sat there staring at the letters and numbers scrawled upon the page in front of him.
It was at that moment he had the epiphany. It had been the reference to a ‘fatal wound’ that had done it. When Nero had committed suicide, plunging the entire Roman Empire into a bloody civil war that had lasted some three years, the institution that was the Roman emperors had certainly suffered a significant blow. Only Vespasian, Domitianus’ father, had been able to restore law and order to the empire.
Carefully, he wrote out the name Nero using Latin letters. That was not right, though. He tried it with Greek letters. Again, not right.
Frustrated, he swore under his breath. Yet he felt like he was close.
Could they have used some other alphabet? He nearly gave up completely when he thought of the numerous languages spoken in the region, although most had no alphabet. But then, the Christians had come out of Judea, had they not? Could it be in Hebrew?
Quickly, he sought out the attendant from whose grasp he had wrenched the piece of parchment earlier.
“Do we have any scrolls describing the language of the Hebrews?” he said, urgently.
The attendant’s eyes glazed over, as if he was reading from some internal list, before finally speaking.
“Yes, but such scrolls will be stored in the basement somewhere.”
“Fetch them immediately. And find me a specialist in Hebrew. And hurry!”
The man ran off. After perhaps an hour of restless torture the attendant returned with some scrolls under one arm, accompanied by a Jewish man, clearly reluctant to be present in the Library under the watchful gaze of the goddess Athena.
“Quick, man, what are the letters in Hebrew that would spell the name Nero?”
“Would that be from the Greek or the Latin?”
“I don’t know! Try them both!”
“Well, that would be nun, resh, waw and nun from the Greek. The Latin form omits the final nun.”
“And what are their numerical equivalents?”
The man paused for a moment. “Fifty, two hundred, six and fifty again, if you are including the final nun.”
That was clearly not enough. A dead end after all. Sergius Maximus was about to dismiss the man and call it quits, when the man said, “Although, it is usual to include ‘Caesar’ as well. That would be qoph, samech and resh; or as numbers, one hundred, sixty and two hundred again.”
Sergius Maximus snatched up the paper. 50 + 200 + 6 + 50 + 100 + 60 + 200. That was it. Six-hundred and sixty six. He had cracked the code!
Ignoring the Jew completely, Sergius Maximus turned to the statue of Athena and bowed low to show his gratitude. Then, he rushed from the library, ready to do battle with the forces of sedition now more clearly visible to his eyes. The rebellion was not specifically focused against Domitianus himself, although he had probably exacerbated the situation with his aspirations of divinity. It was directed against the worship of the emperors as a whole, against the cult of the Blessed Ones. He was sure that this information would assist him in persuading recalcitrant individuals to recant their seditious beliefs.
It was then that he realised he could probably have got the answer from one of the prisoners, if he had only turned up the heat a little more. Still, there was a certain amount of satisfaction in having done it on his own.
If only I could see the scroll for myself, he thought, wistfully. If only Lucius could be found. Perhaps I should pay a visit to his family in Ephesus and wait for him to return...
He hurried down the corridors of the Law Courts. There was much to organise before he would be free to travel anywhere. With a grimace, he realised he would have to start with the proconsul…
“So, the Beast,” said Dr. Williams, almost to himself. “Well, the first thing that needs to be said is that there are actually two beasts in Revelation, not counting the Dragon! One beast appears briefly in chapter 11 verse 7 where it is described as coming up from the Abyss to make war against the two witnesses. In chapter 13, however, this same beast is described as coming out of the sea and in verse 7 is said to make war against the saints. It is further described in chapter 17. The second beast, though, comes out of the earth, and directs people’s attention to the first beast. I think the stated origin of the beasts is important to their interpretation.
“Well, the usual approach of those who follow the prophetic jigsaw method usually call the first beast the Antichrist. But it is extremely interesting to note that the name ‘Antichrist’ does not appear anywhere in the entire book of Revelation. This isn’t at all surprising since the name ‘Antichrist’ was given to the spirit of false teaching that had infiltrated the church. False teachers are referred to as ‘antichrists’ plural, and you can read more about them in the letters of John.
“Just to add to the confusion, prophetic jigsaw interpreters also link in Paul’s teaching about ‘the man of lawlessness’ from Second Thessalonians as well as Daniel’s Fourth Beast as described in Daniel 7. Now, the author of Revelation clearly intended us to think of Daniel’s beast. After all, both beasts have 10 horns. But is he telling us these beasts are in fact the same beast, or that they are like one another in some way? After all, Daniel’s on-going description of the horns is quite different to Revelation. In fact, the really bad news in Daniel is actually an eleventh horn that takes out three of the ten. Nothing like this occurs in Revelation.
“And if you look closely at the text, the first beast of Revelation is described in ways that refer to all four of the beasts in Daniel: the beast resembles a leopard (Daniel’s beast number three), it has the feet of a bear (Daniel’s second beast), and a mouth like a lion (Daniel’s first beast). So, these allusions are definitely intentional. What the significance of these descriptions is, though, is less clear.
“Look, I don’t really want to advertise the competition, but if you want a good summary of the sort of things said about the Beast following the prophetic jigsaw approach, you can’t go past this renegade website claiming to have found the original scroll of Revelation, despite the fact that we have it here in St. Petersburg, and will soon be displaying it for all to see in the Hermitage itself!”
There was quite a stir from the crowd. Dima had only told Natasha about the upcoming exhibition.
“Yes,” continued Dr. Williams, “it’s all there: according to them the Antichrist is the Beast with the 10 horns. He is also at the same time the eleventh horn that takes out three other horns. This means, apparently, that when he comes to power seven world leaders will agree and three will oppose but will be over-ruled. He will become the head of the world government and the head of the world religion. Because Revelation 13 verses 3 and 14 refer to the beast having a fatal head wound, the Antichrist will apparently suffer an assassination attempt that will appear to be successful. But a supernatural miracle will occur restoring him to full health. He will bring about a peace treaty in the Middle East, almost certainly between Israel and all the Arab nations surrounding her. However, at some point he reveals his true colours by deifying himself in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem (the reconstruction of which must be part of that amazing treaty!) This act brings about the Tribulation with a capital T. Of course, the church gets taken out of the picture some time before all this by means of the Rapture with a capital R.
“Now, if you know your Bible you can probably work out which verses of which prophecy are being used to fill in these incredible details. But if you really know your Bible you will also know that in each case there is an alternative interpretation that would have made complete sense to the original hearers of the prophecies. For example, Daniel’s four beasts describe world history leading up to Antiochus Epiphanies, who desecrated the Jewish temple in 168 BC, and who Daniel referred to as the eleventh horn.
“As for Revelation 13, is there an alternative? Is there a way of reading the passage that would have made sense to Christians at the end of the first century? And the simple answer is ‘Yes, there is.’ You have to remember that Christians living in the province of Asia Minor during the reign of Domitian did suffer persecution. We even have evidence from secular historical sources. A man named Pliny the Younger – we would probably call him Pliny Junior, these days – was, from AD 111 to 113, the governor of Pontus and Bithynia, a region in the north of modern-day Turkey, not far from the cities of the Seven Churches of Revelation. At some point during this period, he writes a letter to the Emperor Trajan in Rome. Allow me to quote you some of this letter:
“ ‘...in the case of those who were denounced to me as Christians, I have observed the following procedure: I interrogated these as to whether they were Christians; those who confessed I interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with punishment; those who persisted I ordered executed. For I had no doubt that, whatever the nature of their creed, stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy surely deserve to be punished. There were others possessed of the same folly; but because they were Roman citizens, I signed an order for them to be transferred to Rome.
“ ‘Soon accusations spread, as usually happens, because of the proceedings going on, and several incidents occurred. An anonymous document was published containing the names of many persons. Those who denied that they were or had been Christians, when they invoked the gods in words dictated by me, offered prayer with incense and wine to your image, which I had ordered to be brought for this purpose together with statues of the gods, and moreover cursed Christ – none of which those who are really Christians, it is said, can be forced to do – these I thought should be discharged. Others named by the informer declared that they were Christians, but then denied it, asserting that they had been but had ceased to be, some three years before, others many years, some as much as twenty-five years. They all worshipped your image and the statues of the gods, and cursed Christ.’
“End quote. Now, did you notice that Pliny Junior did not have any problem dealing with people who refused to repent of being a Christian. No, they were just executed, if only for being stubborn! His problem was with people who had once been a Christian but had changed their mind. Was it enough merely for them to repent? Or were they irretrievably stained for life?
“Now, what this passage demonstrates, then, is that there were people living in Asia Minor who had been Christians but who, when faced with Roman opposition, had recanted. In some cases, according to Pliny Junior, this moment of repentance had occurred up to 25 years previously. Now, if you subtract 25 years from Pliny Junior’s years of being governor, you get the period 86 to 88 AD. Perhaps, Pliny Junior is not very accurate – after all, he wasn’t involved in these earlier trials – but what this implies is that from at least as early as 86 AD people have been accused of being Christians by the Roman authorities. Pliny Junior only knows about those who repented, those who returned to emperor worship and therefore lived to tell the tale. But there would also have been those who resisted and were punished with either death or deportation to Rome.
“We also have Trajan’s reply to Pliny the Younger: ‘You observed proper procedure, my dear Pliny, in sifting the cases of those who had been denounced to you as Christians. For it is not possible to lay down any general rule to serve as a kind of fixed standard. They are not to be sought out; if they are denounced and proved guilty, they are to be punished, with this reservation, that whoever denies that he is a Christian and really proves it – that is, by worshipping our gods – even though he was under suspicion in the past, shall obtain pardon through repentance. But anonymously posted accusations ought to have no place in any prosecution. For this is both a dangerous kind of precedent and out of keeping with the spirit of our age.’
“Well, this answer beautifully sums up the Romans’ ambivalent and frankly contradictory attitude towards Christianity: don’t seek them out, which implies they don’t really pose a danger to Rome; but when they are brought to your attention, kill them if they refuse to repent.
“So what these letters provide is evidence that the churches of Asia Minor had been suffering persecution from as early as AD 86, certainly all through the later years of Domitian’s reign. How would the beasts of the thirteenth chapter of the book of Revelation be viewed in this context? Well, to give you a big picture, the beast from the sea is Rome and the beast from the land is the local civil authorities who were enforcing the policy of emperor worship.
“The first beast comes out of the sea. In other words, it is an import. Enacting this very concept, every year the new Roman proconsul would arrive by boat in Ephesus. The beast from the land, though, is a local product.
“In support of identifying the beast from the sea as Rome, in chapter 17 an angel provides an explanation for some of the descriptions. Notably, the seven heads of this beast are said to refer to seven hills, and of course, Rome was famous for its seven hills. The heads also refer to kings, five of whom are past, one is present, and one is yet to come. The beast itself also represents an eighth king, who belongs to the other seven. Things get complicated at this point, and there is much disagreement as to which Roman emperors are being referred to. Personally, I follow G. B. Caird who argues that, given the many repetitions of ‘seven’ in Revelation, that the ‘seven kings’ is representative of the whole series of emperors, and that the important one is the eighth one who will soon be persecuting the church. After all, the people who received this scroll would have had no difficulty in identifying the current reigning emperor. It is just we, who do not know precisely when Revelation was written down and distributed, who have the difficulty.
“There is also the matter of the fatal wound suffered by one of the heads. This is subsequently referred to as the beast’s fatal wound, specifically the result of a sword blow, but that was healed. This appears to be referring to the suicide of Nero, which was followed by a year of civil war – and three terrible but fortunately short-lived emperors – that could have resulted in the end of the empire itself. But after Vespasian came to the throne there was a restoration of the Pax Romana which must have been viewed as miraculous by those who had previously enjoyed such peace and prosperity. It is no wonder that, upon his death, he was declared to be a god by the Imperial Senate. In fact, his last words were reported to have been, ‘Dear me, I must be turning into a god...’ You can sense the irony!
“So then, when we read what this beast is about to do, we can better imagine what those in the church of that time must have felt:
“ ‘The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All the inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.
“ ‘He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.’[60]”
Dr. Williams paused for a while.
“Sobering words,” he continued, eventually. “I’m not sure I would have had the strength to face such persecution. Anyway, now we come to the beast from the land, the local authorities of Asia Minor who were responsible for enforcing emperor worship. I’ll leave it to you to read the text, but I think you will find that most of the details fit this historical context quite well. But I do want to speak a little on the mark of the beast. This is the text: ‘He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.’[61] And of course, the number is 666.
“The whole mark thing appears to be like how a master might brand his slaves so that everyone would know who they belonged to. There is certainly no evidence that this ever occurred literally in the first century. But, there is evidence that people’s ability to buy and sell was hindered if they had not participated in the various sacrifices offered to the emperors. People who had participated were apparently given a certificate – one would presume that it had the name of the reigning emperor on it somewhere – and anyone without such a certificate would have a hard time buying and selling anything, at least with someone who did have such a certificate and who would not want to associate with an enemy of Rome.
“So, all in all, it would have been extremely difficult for the Christians of the time. If they avoided attention from the authorities, they ended up being unable to buy and sell. If they did come to the attention of the authorities, then they were forced to choose between life and death by sacrificing to the emperors or refusing to do so. It is a wonder that any survived!
“But, then that is part of the reason the book of Revelation was written to these people. Not only does it instruct them on what to do, it also says that these persecutions will only be of limited duration. There will be an end, and there will be a judgment that will fall upon the persecutors...”