Marko Joensuu's Blog

This is the introcuctory chapter from my book Understanding Revelation.

For a long time, I considered Revelation to be practically an indecipherable book that would finally be explained by the very last end-time events within a short final time span on the final page of human history. It was the last book in the Bible, after all, I reasoned.

I had given up on trying to decipher it in the late 1980s and found the words of the Danish theologian and philosopher Soren Kierkegaard (1990, 29) practical and useful:

“But,” your perhaps say, “there are so many obscure passages in the Bible, whole books that are practically riddles.” To that I would answer: Before I have anything to do with this objection, it must be made by someone whose life manifests that he has scrupulously complied with all the passages that are easy to understand: is this the case for you? Yet this is how the lover would respond to the letter—if there were obscure passages but also clearly expressed wishes, he would say, “I must immediately comply with the wish—then I will see about the obscure parts. How could I ever sit down and ponder the obscure passages and not comply with the wish, the wish that I clearly understood.”

In other words, when you are reading God’s word, it is not the obscure passages that bind you but what you understand, and with that you are to comply at once.

There is so much in the Bible that is clear and actionable, and I had enough trouble with Jesus’s clear commandments to devote myself to a book that many theologians have tried to decipher in vain for centuries, with those seemingly certain about its exact meaning mostly proven wrong within their own lifetime.

The defining moment came in the mid-1980s, when a well-known end-times teacher seemed certain that the birthmark on the then Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev’s forehead was the mark of the beast and predicted that in the coming year Gorbachev would take over the world as the Antichrist. This was because his birthmark resembled the world map, allegedly. If it happened, it happened so secretly that we missed it, and the Soviet Union collapsed some years later without the prophesied communist world takeover. In later years, I have been able to facilitate mission in the fragments of the lost Soviet empire, and Russia has receded in the minds of most Christians as a potential birthplace of the Antichrist. But Gorbachev has proved to have been able to live a healthy and long life, so the end-times expert in question was able to peddle a theory of his return for quite a few years. No apology for the failed prophecy followed, only a steady stream of new theories about the potential identity of the Antichrist, designed for everyone to forget the failed prophecy and to make some money in the process.

Whole libraries could be filled with clearly failed predictions about the identity of the Antichrist. After all, this speculation about it began already in the second century.

Nearly every Christian has come across theories regarding who or what the beast in Revelation might be. During the days of the Cold War, the Soviet Union was everyone’s favourite beast. Since then, many have predicted that the Antichrist would come from the EU, China, the Middle East, or the US, with the multimillion-selling Left Behind novel series popularising the idea about a Romanian Antichrist, who becomes the UN Secretary General. Consequently, there are millions of Christians around the world expecting the Antichrist to appear to lead a world government, and because of that, millions of evangelical Christians, especially in America, oppose any global cooperation, some even international aid and charity work.

Revelation has entered the popular culture, with novels and movies borrowing from the Apocalypse, often with great artistic freedom. For example, in the beginning of Pale Rider, a Western starring Clint Eastwood, a character called the Preacher arrives in a village on horseback at the precise moment when a young woman is reading the KJV version of Revelation 6:8, which says,

And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.

What follows is a slightly mystical revenge Western where the identity of the Preacher is never fully revealed.

I can remember discussing the finer details of Revelation with a Satanist, a fellow student of journalism, whilst waiting at the reception lounge of the largest newspaper in Finland, with the rest of the students and our professor intently listening to our conversation, looking perplexed. This Satanist had a remarkable interest in Revelation, even when he did not believe in the existence of either God or Satan.

At the time, Revelation seemed to have very little significance to my spiritual growth, and talking about it seemed to lead to endless arguments. In fact, the conversation I had about it with the Satanist has been amongst the most civilised of them all. The apparent ambiguity of Revelation appeared to make almost any interpretation possible but not provable.

And yet many Christians are studying it, and its different interpretations continue to shape global politics. For example, the rise of the Islamic State was energised by an Islamic reinterpretation of the battle of Armageddon referred to in Revelation.

In the Islamic eschatology, Dabiq in Syria is one of the two possible locations for a future epic battle between invading Christians and the defending Muslims, which in the Islamic eschatology will result in the Muslim victory. In this battle, the Muslims would be outnumbered, but Allah would give them victory.

This apocalyptic rationale behind the Islamic State’s appeal was lost to most Westerners, but it explains why many of the terrorist group members keep on fighting even when their caliphate has been lost: according to Islamic false prophecy, this battle was never supposed to be easy, with Allah coming to their help only when the Muslim soldiers would be under siege at the eve of destruction.

This Islamic false prophecy borrowed from Revelation and from other biblical prophetic books, but it then repurposed them to serve Islam. The early Muslims incorporated Jesus into their teaching to ease conversion from Islam to Christianity. If Jesus were one of the Islamic prophets—in a sense, even more special than Muhammed, as it is Jesus and not Muhammed that will return in the end of time according to Islam—then converting from Christianity to Islam would be easier. And the Middle East had large Christian populations before Islam, so incorporating Jesus into the Islamic narrative would have been a major converting strategy.

Jalal al-Din al Suyuti (1446-1505) was one of the most important interpreters of the hadiths (the sayings of Muhammed) predicting the apocalypse. He placed considerable importance on one hadith:

The Hour will not come so long as groups within my community will not have joined with the polytheists, going so far as to worship idols. In my community there will be a succession of thirty imposters, each one pretending to be a prophet. (Filiu 2011, 45)

It is because of these kinds of predictions that Islamic extremists often see Muslims that do not follow their brand of Islam as legitimate targets for execution. They are perceived as people who have left “real Islam” and apostates. Also, any cooperation between the governments in the predominantly Muslim countries and the West can be interpreted as fulfilment of this prophecy.

Al-Suyuti adopts the classical Islamic traditions concerning the Antichrist and that he would be denied access to the holy cities of Islam—Mecca and Medina. According to Al-Suyuti, the trial because of the Antichrist will be horrendous. But then the Mahdi will appear to restore true Islam for the period of seven years—according to Al-Suyuti, before Jesus, who will come to approve the work of the Mahdi. Jesus will descend on the white minaret in Damascus, chase the Antichrist and kill him at the gate of Lod, before abolishing all other religions but Islam. Al-Suyuti says about Jesus: “He will destroy the cross, he will kill the swine, he will make harmony reign, and he will drive out enmity.” (ibid., 45-46)

Al-Suyuti forecast that the Hour would not come any later than AD 2076. Because of this prediction, his influence has never been greater than today. Because of Al-Suyuti and many other Islamic predictors of the Apocalypse, the violence of the Islamic State has been legitimised in parts of the Islamic world, as the world is supposed to be a violent and horrendous place before the end of days. (ibid., 47) It is the Islamic repurposing of Revelation that will ensure that the future decades are likely to continue to be violent in parts of the Middle East.

Both Shia and Sunni apocalyptic thinkers predict that there will be a falling away from Islam—and brutal violence between the Islamic sects, and against the Byzantium, the Eastern Roman Empire that the early Muslims fought against for centuries—which is now reinterpreted to be the West of today. Many of these apocalyptic prophecies also predict a confrontation between the Muslims and the Jews, and the wiping out of the Jews. (ibid., 44-48)

But it is not just Muslims that have repurposed the message of Revelation to their ends. For example, Revelation has had a huge impact on the American foreign policy, even when the politicians applying it might not ever had studied it at all.

Seven Blessings of Reading Revelation

Misinterpreting and misapplying Revelation has brought many curses on earth, yet reading it is promised to bring us many blessings. Revelation contains seven specific blessings for those who remain obedient to Jesus.

Revelation 1:3 promises that “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it.”

According to Revelation 14:13, blessed are those who die in the Lord, as they will rest from their work, and their good works will follow them to eternity.

According to Revelation 16:15, blessed are those who stay awake and remain clothed.

According to Revelation 19:9, blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.

According to Revelation 20:6, blessed are those who share in the first resurrection—the resurrection of the Christians.

According to Revelation 22:7, blessed is the one who keeps the words written in Revelation.

And, according to Revelation 22:14, blessed are those who wash their robes, because they will enjoy the Tree of Life and enter New Jerusalem.

Many Christians associate Revelation with the figure of the Antichrist, but in fact, the Antichrist is not mentioned in Revelation at all. But they link the person behind 666, the number of the beast, mentioned in Revelation 13:18, to the Antichrist, making him some sort of final and evil end-time world ruler.

But I do not think that this interpretation can be easily justified.The reason is that the only books in the Bible that use the word “antichrist” are 1 and 2 John. If you accept that the author of Revelation is the same apostle John who also wrote John’s letters in the New Testament, you will be faced with a major dilemma, as John seems to refute the teaching about one Antichrist as an end-time world ruler in his letters. He writes in 1 John 2:18-19:

Children, it is the last hour! As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. From this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But by going out they made it plain that none of them belongs to us.

In his letters, John gives us a very different definition of an antichrist than most Christians who are searching for the Antichrist today. For John, an antichrist is a false teacher who used to be part of a Christian community.

How could John define an antichrist as a false teacher in his letters and then proceed to present one Antichrist as an end-time world leader in Revelation—but without ever using that term? Many liberal scholars would argue that the book, the letters, and the Gospel all have different authors, but I do not think we need to make that conclusion.

And there is no reason to make an effort to save the idea of one Antichrist, as historical context makes it quite clear that John was responding in his letters to a present threat in the minds of many Christians. What he was refuting was a teaching about the Roman emperor as the Antichrist.

Josephus, a Jewish historian, who led the Jewish forces against the Romans in Galilee in the beginning of the First Jewish-Roman War (AD 66-73), which led to the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, writes in The Jewish War (6.5.4.312) about messianic prophecies that stirred the rebellion:

At about that time, one from their country would become ruler of the habitable world.

At this point, Josephus had already switched on to the Roman side, and he was explaining the Roman victory some years after the destruction of the Second Temple. It appears that he had become disillusioned about the messianic prophecies and was actively repurposing them for the Roman use. So, Josephus, a Jew, loses his faith in the Jewish messianic project after he had been captured by the Romans in Judea. He then makes the claim that this messiah that the Jews were still expecting was in fact the general Vespasian who would be proclaimed the emperor whilst in Judea. It was Vespasian’s son Titus who would destroy Jerusalem and the Second Temple, whilst Vespasian would return to Rome to become the emperor, “fulfilling” the prophecy about the world ruler coming out of Judea.

According to Eusebius (Church History, Book III, Chapter 12), Vespasian then ordered all descendants of the royal line of David to be hunted down to ensure that no one else could claim this prophecy. This is the beginning of the antichrist myth; it seems that Vespasian harnessed Josephus’s lucky prediction about him becoming the emperor to be used as propaganda.

This has also been documented by the Roman historians. Suetonius writes in The Life of Twelve Caesars: Life of Vespasian 5.6 about Vespasian in Judaea:

When he consulted the oracle of the god of Carmel in Judaea, the lots were highly encouraging, promising that whatever he planned or wished however great it might be, would come to pass; and one of his high-born prisoners, Josephus by name, as he was being put in chains, declared most confidently that he would soon be released by the same man, who would then, however, be emperor.

Over the next few years, the myth about one ruler that would rise in Judea would spread over the whole Roman Empire. What John is saying in 1 John 2:18-19 is that the Christians have heard that an Antichrist—the Roman emperor—has come. But John is refuting the whole idea that the emperor would be the Antichrist. Instead, what he is saying is that the many antichrists in the world are in fact false teachers who have once been part of the Christian community.

1 John 2:22 says:

Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.

The recipients of the letter were waiting for one political Antichrist; instead, there would be many theological antichrists. It seems that the apostle John perceived false teachers to be much more detrimental to the Church than persecution by the whole Roman Empire.

Is it not rather odd that John does not mention an antichrist at all in Revelation—the most prophetic book of the New Testament—but he mentions him in a letter written to his contemporaries where he seems to argue against one Antichrist? This should inspire us to study the Scriptures more seriously.

What seems clear is that over the centuries, Christians around the world have projected their fears onto Revelation, so much so that their interpretations often seem to reflect their time and culture more than the contents of Revelation itself.

Over time, these interpretive frameworks have diversified, and academic views on Revelation can be rather different from the interpretations generated by fundamentalist preachers. Today, many scholars seek to explain Revelation as merely a product of its time and the genre conventions the author had in his disposal. But many evangelical writers perceive the book as prophesying what is yet to come, with practically all its content referring to the end-times.

The main frameworks of interpretation are historicist, which sees Revelation as a broad view of history, preterist, which sees the book mostly referring to the first century or time until the fall of the Roman Empire, futurist, which sees Revelation as focused on the final days, and idealist or symbolic, which interprets the book as an allegorical battle between good and evil, with no major reference points to real world events.

I do not think that any of these interpretive frameworks manage to explain the contents of Revelation wholly and satisfactorily, although all of them have something to offer. But they all seek to impose a consistent external order to the text, an order that is alien to its internal arrangement. They stop wrestling with the symbols and mysteries of Revelation far too early in their attempt to fit the content of the book in their interpretive model.

Some time ago I set myself a task of reading Revelation differently. I did not begin with a Bible commentary. Commentaries abound, so we can easily rely on them more than on the actual book. In fact, many books seeking to explain Revelation turn out to be studies of commentaries rather than the book itself.

Instead, I resorted to reading Revelation repeatedly over months in a disciplined way by not using any external sources at all, unless Revelation itself clearly pointed at them. But when Revelation clearly pointed beyond itself, I followed the reference.

Then I read books and academic articles that focus on the history and archaeology of the first-century Asia Minor, Rome, and Judea. Many of them do not refer to Revelation at all but give a picture of the culture, history, and religious beliefs of Asia Minor at the time of Revelation’s writing, either through written documents or archaeological digs.

Eventually, I concluded that Revelation itself provides a consistent interpretive framework for itself, which, with some help of knowing history and trust in the validity of biblical prophecy, manages to explain itself rather well.

I have approached Revelation with the hermeneutical perspective common in the study of history and theology. Hans-Georg Gadamer is considered the father of philosophical hermeneutics and one of the most important philosophical voices of the twentieth century. Gadamer examined the ways historical and cultural circumstances influence human understanding, and he remains popular amongst many theologians, mainly as hermeneutics itself was birthed out of the need for biblical interpretation.

Many people are aware of the concept of the hermeneutical spiral or circle, but they might not know what it means. In hermeneutics, a text is seen as a unity when it comes to its meaning. The individual parts explain the whole, and the whole is explained by the individual parts. Interpretation consists of continual movement from the whole to the part and from the part to the whole, and this process gradually increases and deepens our understanding.

According to Gadamer, someone trying to understand a text is “always projecting.” We project a meaning on the text as soon as an initial meaning begins to emerge. This fore-projection is constantly revised, and in every revision round we project a new projection of meaning: rival projects of interpretation can emerge side by side, until it becomes clearer what the unity of meaning is. If the fore-projection is correct, it is confirmed by the text. The art of interpretation is to examine the legitimacy of the “fore-meanings” dwelling within us. (Gadamer 2013, 279-280)

Essentially, we seek to let the text itself to be the judge of our fore- meanings rather than only look for evidence for whatever theory we hold about the text.

But far too often, we are impatient with the text, and when we read a book full of symbolism and metaphors, such as Revelation, we can project our interpretation onto it too quickly. For example, a prominent Bible study site interprets the “beast rising out of the sea” in Revelation 13:1 to be the Antichrist. But is this interpretation consistent with what Revelation itself reveals about the beast? Is it consistent with the way the Bible defines a beast?

We will proceed from part—one verse—to the whole: from Revelation to the totality of the Bible. And we will soon discover that in the Bible, beasts tend to be empires rather than individuals. Revelation is continuation of the Book of Daniel, and to Daniel, beasts are empires. This means that a theory about the beast in Revelation 13:1 being the Antichrist is probably wrong, because a beast is an empire and not a person. But now our understanding of the whole has already affected our interpretation of Revelation 13:1. If empires are beasts in Daniel, then the beast rising out of the sea must be an empire.

We let Revelation itself explain an individual verse, and then we let the individual verse explain Revelation. Then we let the rest of the Bible explain the individual verse and Revelation, and vice versa. And we can also, to certain extent, let historical events explain Revelation, as some passages clearly depict events that have already passed in time of writing, and others predict events that have now clearly come to pass. When Revelation was written, they were prophecy. Now they are history. The hermeneutical process can be extended beyond the text to its reference points in the world.

Do you ever mentally skip a Bible verse because you already “know” what it means? This is an example of fore-projecting an interpretation. When we do that we no more let the Bible confront and challenge us, but we have categorised that verse in our mind as a “solved problem”, and it does not bother us anymore. This way, the Bible has lost some of its power in our lives.

Over the years, I have tried to read the Bible in different translations and languages, as the resulting sense of unfamiliarity forces me to re-ponder the text’s meaning, and I am less able to fore-project an interpretation effortlessly.

Interpretive Guidelines

Following hermeneutical principles, I would suggest following these interpretive guidelines when you study Revelation.

1. Revelation gives plenty of guidance on how to interpret itself. It is the first place to look when explaining it.

For example, in Revelation 10:2, a mighty angel comes down from heaven and holds a little scroll in his hand. It should be clear to a careful reader that a little scroll begins a new prophecy.

Revelation 1:8 says that God is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. This implies that Revelation majors in beginnings and endings.

Revelation 1:1 says that the book is about what “must soon take place.” Then in Revelation 4:1, a voice says to John: “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”

So, Revelation is not just about beginning and endings, but also about things that will happen soon after John has seen the visions.

But in Revelation 1:19 Jesus says to John: “Now write what you have seen, what is, and what is to take place after this.”

Putting this all together, it seems clear that part of Revelation concerns of things which had already happened at the time John saw the visions. These belong to the things which are.

So, Revelation interprets the past and how we got where John was at the time of seeing the visions.

Revelation tells about events that were happening at the time John saw the visions. These also belong to the things which are.

Revelation predicts what is about to happen. And then it predicts what will happen after what is about to happen. These belong to things that will take place after the time of seeing the vision. And then it predicts events which will happen in the end-times.

Based on this, much of Revelation would already have taken place within John’s lifetime, and some of it quite soon after that. This might challenge your understanding of Revelation, but that is what Jesus says Himself in Revelation.

For some, a thought that a book of prophecy might explain the past might seem contradictory. But it is not. Revelation gives us God’s perspective on the purpose of all time. God is the Great Storyteller, and He knows that for us to understand what will happen, we need to understand what has already taken place, and how we got where we are. But we should not lose sight of Revelation 1:1, which says that the book concerns of what must soon take place. This means that the main emphasis of the book is prophetic and not simply reinterpreting the past or the present, and that many developments shown should begin shortly after John seeing the visions.

2. The first reference point outside Revelation is the Old Testament. 

Scholars have counted over two hundred references in Revelation to the Old Testament texts (Lo 1999, 2-3). Most of these are references to the Old Testament’s prophetic books. Altogether, there might be over five hundred allusions to the Old Testament.

This means that it would be foolish to study Revelation without also studying the Old Testament. With so many references to the Old Testament, Revelation clearly invites us to study the Jewish Bible. It is the Old Testament, rather than the New Testament, which functions as the main reference point. The reason for this is clear: the New Testament canon had not been compiled at the time of writing. Although most books and letters ending up as part of the New Testament would already have been written, they would not have been widely available.

But Revelation goes a lot further than that. It is evident that John sees Revelation as a continuation of the work of the Old Testament prophets, even the summary and the explainer of it. Revelation contains new predictive prophecies, but it also explains the Old Testament prophecies.

Revelation makes references to nearly all prophetic books in the Old Testament, and each reference is an invitation to read not just the exact reference but also the surrounding verses. These references function much like hyperlinks, so that we should read Revelation by going back and forth from Revelation to the Old Testament books if we need more clarity.

By and large, Revelation is a book that expands, explains, and continues the Old Testament prophecy. For example, when it comes to the beast, Revelation continues from where Daniel ends.

As Revelation relies so heavily on the Old Testament prophetic books, a sensible approach would be to assess whether it also follows their structure. For example, Jeremiah is structured cyclically as a series of gradually developing wailings about Jerusalem’s impending destruction, so its prophecies are not sequenced chronologically but hermeneutically, as Jeremiah seeks to understand the first shocking revelation and his own call, which leads him to a deeper understanding. So, it would be a mistake to read Jeremiah as a singular chronologically structured prophecy. The same applies to Revelation.

3. Symbolism in Revelation follows the conventions developed by the Old Testament prophetic books.

Revelation is a profoundly symbolic book, but there are no randomly chosen symbols. There is very little in the book that is literal, and at the same time, it does refer to real historical events.

Revelation is not one chronological account of world events. In fact, it contains multiple visions of the past, present, and future, looked at from different perspectives.

To understand Revelation, you must seek to understand prophetic language, principles, and visionary symbolism. Here my approach is not entirely scholarly, as my ministry and gifting in this area have somewhat directed my interpretation. But unless you understand the language of dreams and visions, it is very hard to understand a book full of visions. But this does not entitle us to haphazard interpretations. These interpretations must still be supported by te Scriptures, reasonability, and history.

According to Bailey, prophetic literature can use forms such as step parallelism, inverted parallelism, and ring composition (2011, 40-42) in short passages of Scripture. We do not need to get too technical here; the main point is that prophetic writing is not always written chronologically, but the following verses can reinforce the message of the previous verses rather than account events in linear or chronological fashion.

As a journalist, I am used to writing articles that do not outline the narrative in chronological order but move back and forth temporally to reinforce an argument, with the headline often working both as a premise and a conclusion. So, non-chronological ordering of texts should not be unfamiliar to anyone who reads the news.

4. Interpretation of symbols should be consistent and not haphazard.

The symbolic system of Revelation is not haphazard but precise. Yet many scholars and Bible teachers interpret the symbols haphazardly. For example, when Revelation 7:3 refers to the seal of God on the forehead of His servants, most readers would interpret this to be an invisible seal. Yet, when Revelation 13:16-18 speaks about the mark of the beast, many expect this mark to be a physical mark. That is not consistent but haphazard interpretation of symbols. It does not conform with the symbolic system of Revelation. In fact, from the beginning to the end of the book, Revelation is painstakingly building a complex but consistent symbolic system, and this system is meant to guide a reader’s interpretation of the book.

5. The next reference point after the Old Testament prophets should be the rest of the Old Testament and the New Testament. 

For example, when in Revelation 15:3 the saints sing the Song of Moses, it refers to the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32. To establish the meaning of the Song of Moses in Revelation, the most sensible thing to do is to read Deuteronomy 32 first.

But John is also writing to congregations that would have been at least reasonably familiar with Paul’s teaching, as Paul established the church of Ephesus. Hence Paul’s letters to Asia Minor can often give us useful contextual information and clues.

This referencing to the Old Testament is deeply ingrained in Revelation. As early as in the third century, Dionysius of Alexandria complained about John’s poor use of Greek, saying that he employed barbarous idioms. But many irregularities occur because Revelation carries over the exact grammatical form of the Old Testament wording, with this intended dissonance being used as a literary technique to get the reader to see the Old Testament connection more clearly. (Beale 1999, 318-321)

6. You cannot understand Revelation without some knowledge of history.

If Revelation is the book of the Alpha and the Omega, the beginnings and the endings, and what happens between, you will not be able to understand it without at least some understanding of history. How do you separate what has already happened from what is yet to happen, unless you know what has already happened?

As the Old Testament prophecies about the destruction of Israel and Judah demonstrate, God cares deeply about every generation, and not just about ours. Not every Bible prophecy is a prophecy about the end-times, with many Bible prophecies already being fulfilled in the time of Jesus.

7. You cannot understand Revelation unless you acknowledge that at least some of its content is prophecy.

Revelation is a profoundly prophetic book. Much of the historical study of it assumes that there is no actual prophecy in it with scholars perceiving it merely as symbolic commentary of John’s own time. But although our understanding of the first century history is extremely useful, it fails to explain the whole of Revelation.

Paul Ricouer, a French philosopher, saw the Bible as “the grandiose plot of the history of the world”, and each literary plot as a “sort of miniature version of the great plot that joins Apocalypse and Genesis”. (Ricouer 1985, 23)

But the Apocalypse is yet to happen,which has certain consequences. According to Ricouer, the Apocalypse, in this respect, offers the model of a prediction that is continually invalidated without ever being discredited, hence of an end that is itself constantly put off. Moreover, and by implication, the invalidation of the prediction concerning the end of the world has given rise to a truly qualitative transformation of the apocalyptic model. From being imminent, it has become immanent. The Apocalypse, therefore, shifts its imagery from the last days, the days of terror, of decadence, of renovation, to become a myth of crisis. (ibid., 23)

This sense of an imminent crisis is the ethos of how many Christians approach Revelation. But this ethos does not help us to understand it. Many Christians project this ethos of an imminent crisis onto any new crisis in their time and believe that this new crisis would somehow be the fulfilment of prophecies in Revelation. This is because all they know about Revelation is a sense of a world in crisis, and now their world appears to be in crisis, which must in their minds mean that they are seeing the prophecies regarding the end-times fulfilled.

Sources:

Bailey, Kenneth E. Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies In 1 Corinthians. S.l.: SPCK Publishing, 2011.

Beale, Gregory K. John’s Use of the Old Testament in Revelation. A&C Black, 1999.

Filiu, Jean-Pierre. Apocalypse in Islam. University of California Press, 2011.

Kierkegaard, Søren. Kierkegaard’s Writings, XXI, Volume 21: For Self- Examination/Judge for Yourself! Princeton University Press, 1990.

Lo, Wei, and Wei Luo. Ezekiel in Revelation: Literary and Hermeneutic Aspects. University of Edinburgh, 1999.

Ricoeur, Paul. Time and Narrative. Vol. 2. University of Chicago Press, 1990.

Studying Jeremiah 15 well and applying its lessons in practice is key to the restoration of the prophetic movement. 

The last few years have seen many failures in the prophetic movement, but as response, there has been more effort in attempting to move the goalposts rather than admitting failure and seek restoration. 

Jeremiah 15 is a key text in the Bible regarding the prophetic process and responsibility, and although there is a difference between the function and authority of the Old Testament and contemporary prophets, the dynamics of the Holy Spirit’s work in us and through us haven’t changed, and God never lies. 

Verse 1 says, 

“Then the Lord said to me: Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my heart would not turn towards this people.” 

Here, Moses and Samuel represent the Law and the prophets. The implications are clear – both the Law and the prophets demand the destruction of Judah, Jerusalem and the Temple as judgment. 

The prophetic word about the impending destruction continues, and it is a hard word to share, not simply because of the negative response from the people, but also as Jeremiah is prophesying the destruction of his own nation, and he himself came from a priestly family.  

In verse 10 Jeremiah says, 

“Woe is me, my mother, that you ever bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.” 

Jeremiah has become an object for cursing, and many regular people would have thought that he was a false prophet. 

In verses 11-12 the Lord says, 

“Surely I have intervened in your life for good, surely I have imposed enemies on you in a time of trouble and in a time of distress. Can iron and bronze break iron from the north?" 

Jeremiah was born in the village of Anathoth, northeast from the Old City of Jerusalem, so it is possible that “iron from the north” has a double meaning as a reference to unmixed iron coming from near the Black Sea and Jeremiah’s personal history.  

Jeremiah’s words will break the mixed words by other prophets who had mixed bronze with iron and not relied only on the Lord. It seems that God has no time for Jeremiah’s protestations, as He immediately adds to the words of destruction. 

Verses 13-14 say,  

“Your wealth and your treasures I will give as plunder, without price, for all your sins, throughout all your territory. I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn for ever.” 

Verses 15-18 which account Jeremiah’s response are critical, as they document the stumbling block for most prophetic ministries. 

“O Lord, you know; remember me and visit me, and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance do not take me away; know that on your account I suffer insult. Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. I did not sit in the company of merrymakers, nor did I rejoice; under the weight of your hand I sat alone, for you had filled me with indignation. Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail.” 

When we begin to receive prophetic words from the Holy Spirit, it is a time of excitement. But sharing them faithfully will always have consequences, as there will be opposition from demonic forces and people. 

At this point, Jeremiah was no more willing to share God-given words faithfully. Perhaps he also wanted to begin to mix bronze with iron. 

Oftentimes, prophetic ministry leads to loneliness and lack of popularity, and this is a price that not everyone in the prophetic ministry wants to pay.  

But the prophetic responsibility is not always joyful. The excitement that comes from receiving the words of the Lord can be addictive, but there are times God is asking us not to operate out of excitement but out of obedience. 

The Lord answers in verses 19-21,  

“If you turn back, I will take you back, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth. It is they who will turn to you, not you who will turn to them. And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the Lord. I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.” 

The only way the prophetic ministry will maintain its integrity is in the place of willingness to pay the price of loneliness. Are we compromising the prophetic word because of the need for popularity and its benefits? 

What is noteworthy is that in God’s eyes Jeremiah is already walking away from Him, and He is asking Jeremiah to repent and turn back. And herein is our hope: if Jeremiah was able to turn back, we are also able to turn back. 

For our benefit, Jeremiah has documented for us the desperate moment he had before God. There is not even a hint that this would have been a public moment. Jeremiah had not yet uttered a false prophecy. But God showed him the moment when he was about to begin to share worthless words that were the product of his own imagination rather than an outcome of a deep encounter with God. 

What Jeremiah 15 says is that we need to stop mixing bronze with iron. It might be that, initially, no one else will see the difference, but we know the difference. We need to stop mixing our words with God’s words and know the difference between them. 

 

In 2 Kings 2:11, the prophet Elijah is taken up to heaven on the chariot of fire. This miracle is often portrayed as a highlight of Elijah’s ministry, but it seems evident that God took Elijah away before time to protect Elijah from the consequences of his disobedience.

Common explanations for the chariots of fire include God rewarding Elijah for his obedience. But that seems unlikely, as before that, Elijah had refused to obey God’s command to anoint three leaders.

Elijah’s disobedience

We all know the story about the prophet Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal and Asherah on the Mount Carmel and fire coming down from heaven to burn his sacrifice. 

In 1 Kings 18:1 it says, 

After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year of the drought, saying, ‘Go, present yourself to Ahab; I will send rain on the earth.’

Because of drought the famine was severe in Samaria. 

Elijah doesn't tell Ahab about the coming rain, but challenges the prophets of Baal to a confrontation. The fire falls from heaven on Elijah’s altar, and Elijah slaughters 450 prophets of Baal. But after a threat by Queen Jezebel, Elijah flees to Mount Horeb, fearful and depressed. 

In 1 Kings 19:11-18 God speaks to Elijah, 

He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.’ 

This is after Elijah had had killed 450 Baal’s prophets with a sword. But as he is full of fear, Elijah is saying that all God’s prophets have been killed with a sword!  

The first thing Elijah is asked to do is to go to the wilderness of Damascus and anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Then he is asked to anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, over Israel, and then to anoint Elisha to be a prophet in his place. 

The Hebrew word translated here as “in your place” is also translated in the Old Testament as “under”, so it is not conclusive whether God was terminating Elijah’s prophetic office, or if he was asking Elijah to begin to prepare for succession but with Elisha under Elijah’s leadership. But there is a strong sense that God is dissatisfied with Elijah's response to his encounter with God.

But rather than going to Damascus to anoint Hazael, Elijah goes to find Elisha. And rather than anointing Elisha, he only throws his mantle over him. 

There are several acts of disobedience. 

First, he doesn’t go to anoint Hazael. In human terms, this could have been understandable, as Hazael was an enemy of Israel, and Elijah would have anointed Hazael to attack Israel. But God doesn’t give us the freedom to disobey commands that we dislike. 

Second, Elijah doesn’t anoint Jehu.

Third, he goes straight to Elisha, but he doesn’t anoint Elisha either. Instead, he throws his mantle over Elisha.

In fact, Elijah doesn’t anoint anyone. And he gives Elisha his mantle without anointing. 

A mantle without anointing. It seems that Elijah might have wanted Elisha to fail. Because he would have known the significance of anointing. 

But God had already anointed Elisha. He only wanted Elijah to recognise that anointing.

We often talk in the charismatic church about receiving someone’s mantle in a celebratory manner, but in fact what we celebrate is an act of disobedience, or at best, an act of partial obedience.

Perhaps Elijah became angry at the thought of Elisha replacing him. We don’t know. But Elijah never anointed Elisha. Instead, Elisha became his disciple and servant. Perhaps Elisha was supposed to be anointed to serve “under” Elijah to become a prophet “in his place”; perhaps both translations of the Hebrew word are correct.

This is not dissimilar to what often happens in our churches. So often, leaders are happy to serve as long as they remain the main protagonist of the narrative. But if God asks them to step aside and give someone else space to operate on the same level, that they won’t accept.

But it is clear that Elijah is taken to heaven prematurely, without completing the assignment God had given to him. 

After a long time Ahab repents, fasts, and puts on sackcloth, and 1 Kings 21:28-29 says, 

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”

This story begins with God sending the prophet Elijah to Ahab after he promises rain for Israel. But rather than telling Ahab that, Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to a confrontation.

We can see that all this time it was in God’s heart to bring Ahab to repentance.

There have been situations in my life when God has asked me to give a good news prophecy to someone who has maltreated me. I wonder if God was testing Elijah to see if he was willing to bring positive news to his persecutor. 

Would Ahab have repented earlier had Elijah given him the good news? But now I am reading between the lines as someone who has a prophetic ministry.

After Elijah has been taken up to heaven, 2 Kings 8:7-15 says,

Elisha went to Damascus while King Ben-hadad of Aram was ill. When it was told him, ‘The man of God has come here’, the king said to Hazael, ‘Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God. Inquire of the Lord through him, whether I shall recover from this illness.’ So Hazael went to meet him, taking a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camel loads. When he entered and stood before him, he said, ‘Your son King Ben-hadad of Aram has sent me to you, saying, “Shall I recover from this illness?”’ Elisha said to him, ‘Go, say to him, “You shall certainly recover”; but the Lord has shown me that he shall certainly die.’ 11 He fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was ashamed. Then the man of God wept. Hazael asked, ‘Why does my lord weep?’ He answered, ‘Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel; you will set their fortresses on fire, you will kill their young men with the sword, dash in pieces their little ones, and rip up their pregnant women.’ Hazael said, ‘What is your servant, who is a mere dog, that he should do this great thing?’ Elisha answered, ‘The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Aram.’ Then he left Elisha, and went to his master Ben-hadad,[a] who said to him, ‘What did Elisha say to you?’ And he answered, ‘He told me that you would certainly recover.’ But the next day he took the bed-cover and dipped it in water and spread it over the king’s face, until he died. And Hazael succeeded him.

Elisha doesn’t want to anoint Hazael to attack Israel. Instead, he weeps. We don’t know how much he knew about the assignment God had given to Elijah. But perhaps God didn’t ask Elisha to anoint Hazael, but only to prophesy to him, so he probably didn't disobey God. But even Elisha found it hard to prophesy to Hazael.

In 2 Kings 9:1-3 it says

Then the prophet Elisha called a member of the company of prophets and said to him, ‘Gird up your loins; take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. When you arrive, look there for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi; go in and get him to leave his companions, and take him into an inner chamber. Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, “Thus says the Lord: I anoint you king over Israel.” Then open the door and flee; do not linger.’

It is Elisha who completes Elijah’s tasks because Elijah refuses to anoint three people. But even now Elijah delegates the task to one of the prophets who are in his company. Perhaps God didn't ask Elijah to perform the anointing personally. 

But how many leaders have lost their anointing because they have refused to leave the centre stage and honour someone else that God wants to lift?

Many people are willing to die with public glory, to get their names etched on the tablets of history, but how many people are willing to die the way of John the Baptist, by decreasing? 

What happens to us when we refuse to do God’s will? It seems to me that because Elijah disobeyed God, his ministry was on its way to destruction, and that God took Elijah to heaven before he would encounter the consequences of his disobedience. After all, God has no use for a prophet who refuses to do God’s will. 

Some time ago I visited a large church in an event where there were many great speakers. I must admit that I felt a pang of jealousy when I listened to these speakers. But each time I felt jealousy, I felt the Holy Spirit say, “Marko. If you were doing what they are doing, I would have already taken you from earth.” I didn’t get the message immediately, as each one of these speakers was doing great things in their real life, and they weren't just conference speakers. But I got the sense that my days on earth would already have been over had I even tried to do what they were doing. I have survived accidents where I could easily have died, so I don’t think God was talking about being taken up in the chariots of fire. 

As I reflected on this, it became clear to me how much God values obedience. I heard the same response of the Holy Spirit again and again. But I think it was the voice of God’s love.

No matter, how successful we might be on the outside, God has no use for prophets who don’t do his will. And it was God’s love that took Elijah up in the chariot of fire, because he wanted Elijah to finish well.

You can connect with Marko on Twitter @markojoensuu and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/ or by visiting markojoensuu.com. 

The devil’s three main weapons are fear, sin and deception. In John 8:44, Jesus says that the devil is a murderer and a liar. As a murderer, he releases violence against us, and this brings fear. As a liar, he releases deception against us. And he has always tempted us to sin.

All these three weapons get their energy from a demonic presence that accompanies them. God has an unlimited Presence; the angels and demons have a limited spiritual presence, and their presence is qualitatively different from God’s.

The presence of God bears fruit, and so does the presence of the enemy, but of a rotten kind, if we allow it to operate in our lives.

Galatians 5:22-23 says that the fruit of God’s presence in our lives is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

The fruit of demonic presence in our lives, if we allow it to affect us, are the works of fear, sin and deception.

In Ephesians 2:2, Paul writes about the pervasive presence of the demonic forces around us, and how it brings sin into our lives.

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

This demonic atmosphere around us makes it harder to believe in the Word of God, makes us forget His promises, and seeks to disconnect us from the flow of the Holy Spirit within us through making it difficult for us to experience God’s presence.

Enemy is the master of attacking us through manipulating our emotions. This is because our emotions are more intertwined with our beliefs than we realise. Through affecting our emotions, the devil can affect what we believe and influence our behaviour. Robert C. Solomon, Professor of Philosophy, writes on the philosophy of emotions.

Beliefs and emotions are related in many important ways: belief as precondition or presupposition of emotion, and belief as brought about by emotion (say, by way of wishful thinking or rationalisation).

This is quite an illuminating point of view. I don’t know if it happens to you, but when I feel low, facts look different from when I feel optimistic. When I feel low, nothing seems possible; when I feel hopeful, even impossible seems possible.

I reason in an entirely different way when I feel hopeful than when I feel depressed. That is because our emotions affect our beliefs. They affect our thought processes deeply, and they manifest in our thoughts.

Paul writes in Romans 12:2,

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

In Ephesians 4:20-24, Paul says that “the spirit of your mind” needs continual renewing.

 But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

The Spirit-filled state of your mind is continually bombarded with deceitful lusts, fear and arguments. These attacks come from the inside—what Paul calls flesh—but also from demonic beings.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5,

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

One of the main weapons the devil uses against you is releasing fear-filled arguments. These are some of the fiery arrows Paul asks us to use the shield of faith against in Ephesians 6:13-18. Their goal is to disconnect your mind from the continual indwelling of the Holy Spirit. If they achieve to do that, the devil knows he will be able to defeat you.

These fiery arrows are not just facts; they are burning with demonic poison. We accept them because they sound factual, but they are at best only partial facts and immersed in fear, and in other emotions such as anger and a sense of guilt.

The main goal of releasing fear and guilt is not necessarily to make you submit to them, but to make you vulnerable to sin and deception. Here, the enemy is using our psychological defence mechanisms against us.

The only way to combat demonic fear and guilt are the presence and promises of God; all attempts of self-defence without the Holy Spirit can lead to destructive or addictive behaviour.

If you breathe in the demonic fear produced by the prince of the air and his vassals, the fearful emotion itself will become a factory for fear-filled thoughts, and your fear-filled mind will end up doing the devil’s job for him.

I have the gift of discerning spirits, and I can often discern how a demonic disturbance seeks to encapsulate my mind like a bubble or a sphere that begins to interfere with my thought processes and produces a diversity of fears or other negative emotions.

When under this demonic disturbance, for example, on the way to work, I can fear a multitude of things from a relationship breakdown to financial ruin, and whatever else, depending on what news headlines I read in the paper. It is as if the atmosphere of fear was able to seep deep in my thought processes and dig up even my deepest subconscious fear, and articulate it clearly.

The enemy might not necessarily feed me these individual fear-filled thoughts, but instead, he surrounds me with a spiritual environment that begins to feed my imagination and reasoning processes. He doesn’t need to read my mind, but simply surround it with his presence, and my imagination will do the rest.

Our reasoning and emotions aren’t that separate from each other. Contrary to common understanding, emotions and thoughts don’t displace each other.

So, the enemy often attacks our faith through manipulating our emotions that begin to warp our beliefs, which will in turn begin to affect our behaviour. But because emotions and beliefs are so interwoven, the enemy can also attack our emotions through arguments—the process also works in reverse.

The apostle Paul saw many arguments as spiritually loaded. He writes in 2 Corinthians 10:4-6,

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. 

Emotions also appear to behave like arguments. Robert C. Solomon writes,

Emotions are in fact assessments that are perceived as particularly important for the agent . . . For this reason, emotions play a crucial role in the process of decision-making.

If the enemy can affect your emotions, he can influence your decision-making. Robert C. Solomon concludes,

An emotion is a system of concepts, beliefs and attitudes, and desires, virtually all of which are context-bound, historically developed and culture specific.

Our six basic emotions are: fear, disgust, surprise, sadness, happiness and anger. The devil can manipulate each one of these emotions to weaken our faith. I focus on fear here, because it is one of the main weapons of the enemy. But the devil can use all these emotions to disconnect us from the presence of God.

I often find that the enemy seeks to use my memories against me. By bringing certain types of memories to my awareness, the enemy will also bring the mood associated with the memory.

Our emotions affect the way we see the future. Fear makes the future seem hopeless.

Jean Paul Sartre, an atheist existential philosopher, writes,

The meaning of realism, of naturalism, and of materialism lies in the past: these three philosophies are descriptions of the past as if it were present.

Often, when the enemy fights against God’s promises in your life, he leads you to focus on the material and financial limitations of your life. If he can make you think about your life mainly on materialistic terms, he can easily kill any God-given dream in your life through bringing a sense of determinism, so that you become a prisoner of the past. He will whisper to your ear: “Look at your life. Things might change, but they will change so slowly that you will never make it to the future God has promised to you.” But God is the Master of multiplication. He doesn’t multiply seeds from 1 to 2, but from 1 to 30 or 100. Matthew 13:8 says,

But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

But the devil will tell you that you will only add from 1 to 2, and even that, only with the greatest of your effort.

Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, and it is indispensable in our battle against the enemy. The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:13,

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Hope, faith and love are all attributes of God Himself, and that is why, when we are full of His Spirit, we are also full of hope. And hope is the greatest weapon against depression and despair. But the fear of future is the opposite of hope for future.

Can you see why the devil loves prophecies spreading fear? Can you see why our media can’t get enough of doom and gloom? The devil likes to feed our thought factories of fear, so that we would live our lives in an atmosphere of fear.

The enemy attacks the emotions to colour the narratives and the metaphors through which we perceive our lives, and through connecting your emotions to false memories that are only partially based on reality.

The reality is that no matter what happened in the past, God is still with us, and God was in control even in the past. And He will also be in control in future.

Satan is an expert in fear, because he has lived in fear for thousands of years. He and his demonic army know every nuance of fear. They have been in the presence of God, they know who God really is, and they know that, one day, they will be judged.

The apostle James writes,

You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! (James 2:19)

The demons fear God, and this fear goes to their very core. Hence they can’t help but to radiate fear. And a demonic spirit that spreads fear will also spread rebellion, unbelief and deception.

All Christian leaders are under heavy spiritual attack, at all times, but many of them are not even theologically open to an idea about a negative, supernatural force influencing them. Hence they respond to a supernatural attack in the natural, self-medicating against the symptoms but never really dealing with the real cause. This can lead to all sorts of addictive and destructive behaviour, including alcoholism, addiction to sex and pornography, and drug use.

1 John 4:18 says,

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

This isn’t a word of judgment for those who feel fear, but a word of encouragement. But isn’t it interesting that the apostle John positions fear as the enemy of God that must be overcome by the power of God?

I used to be of the opinion that a little bit of fear in my life didn’t really matter. But I have come to realise that fear can easily bring disobedience into our lives. Abraham sinned because of fear. King Saul sinned and lost his anointing because of fear.

Also, fear opens up all kinds of other emotions and wrestles our mind out of submission to the Holy Spirit. It weakens our resistance against the demonic powers and the power of sin. Sometimes, the devil just hates to see you blessed and wants to rob you of joy, so he attacks you with fear.

There are many negative emotions, but fear is perhaps the most destructive one, as it is very deceitful, and we don’t always realise that it opens the door to demonic influences in our lives.

This article has been extracted from my book Supernatural Love: Releasing the Compassion of Jesus Through the Gifts of the Spirit.

You can connect with Marko on Twitter @markojoensuu and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/ or by visiting markojoensuu.com. 

After the wholesale failure of the prophetic movement in the political arena and the consequent escape from reality by many prophetic leaders into the alternative reality created by QAnon and conspiracy theories, it seems worth revisiting the biblical standards for prophecy.

Old Testament standard for prophecy

The Old Testament standard for prophetic accuracy is clear. Deuteronomy18:21-22 says,  

You may say to yourself, “How can we recognize a word that the Lordhas not spoken?” If a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it.

1 Samuel 3:19 says,

As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.

The prophetic standard of the Old Testament was that a true prophet spoke only the words given by the Lord and they came to pass. Anything else was presumptuous and caused the prophet to lose their authority. 

Contrast this with the standard of the modern-day Apostolic-Prophetic Movement that seems to accept quite a high level of errors. In 1988, Bob Jones, who has now passed, and Mike Bickle, considered by many to be leaders in the movement, recorded around five hours of informal dialogue titled Visions and Revelations. 

In the recordings, Mike Bickle asks Bob Jones about his prophecies: “So there has been errors. There has been a number of errors.” Bob Jones says, “Oh, hundreds of them.” Mike Bickle asks: “The Lord will correct them?” to which Bob Jones responds, “Absolutely.”

I deal with this in more detail in my book Supernatural Love, but it is enough to say here that the practice in the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement is that it is not a big deal if a prophet has a few failing prophecies. This is because in their model, prophets don’t receive their authority from fulfilled prophetic words but from alignment with the movement itself, as the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement is in essence a governmental rather than missional model. Its main purpose is to exert authority over the believers.

Hence the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement holds annual prophetic roundtables where the prophetic word for the year is produced from the consensus between the prophetic leaders recognised by the movement. And it is being in alignment with the apostles and prophets in this movement that will bring a blessing to individual believers under their authority, not the fulfilled prophetic words.

Looking at what Deuteronomy 18:21-22 says, this appears to be quite a different standard to that set for the Old Testament prophets. But are these Old Testament standards applicable today? Or are they out of date?

New Testament standard for prophecy

Some teachers take 1 Corinthians 14:3 to be the sole guideline for prophecy in the New Testament:

On the other hand, those who prophesy speak to other people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.

If this was the only guideline, prophecy in the New Testament church would have lost nearly all its predictive nature and the responsibility for accuracy.

But presenting this verse as the only guideline is contradictory to the evidence of the New Testament as a whole. Nowhere does it say in the New Testament that the demand for accuracy has now been forfeited. For example, in Acts 11:28 Agabus prophesies that there would be a great famine over the whole world, and this came to pass under Claudius. 

We don’t know for certain how widespread this famine was, but it affected at least the people of Israel and Syria where the early church was concentrated at the time. So, Agabus made a clear prediction about a world event, and it was fulfilled.

One of the most visible failures of the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement was their nearly unanimous prediction that Trump would be elected for second term in 2020. This collective prophecy turned out to be a catastrophic failure.

In one sense, if the role of the prophet in the New Testament is merely to encourage, encouraging voters to vote for Trump would have been enough for the prophets to fulfil their function, even when Trump was not elected. But that was not how these prophecies were presented, as they were presented as predictive prophecies rather than election campaigning, so making the retrospective argument about the merely encouraging function of prophecy that some have done to defend the movement is dishonest.

Deuteronomy 18 in more detail

Looking at Deuteronomy 18:21-22, different Bible translations translate the Hebrew text slightly differently: if a prophecy turns out to be presumptuous, we should not be afraid of either the prophet orthe prophecy. So, it could be argued that it is either the prophet or the prophecy that have lost their authority due to a failed prophecy.

An understanding that it is a prophecy rather than the prophet that loses the authority when a word is not fulfilled seems to be shared by Kris Valloton, who apologised for prophesying about Trump being elected for second term in 2020. 

Effectively, Kris Valloton admitted that he had spoken this word presumptuously.

“I take full responsibility for being wrong. There’s no excuse for it. I think it doesn’t make me a false prophet, but it does … create a credibility gap. A lot of people trust me, trust my ministry and I want to say I’m very sorry for everyone who put their trust in me.”

According to this view, apologising for the word spoken presumptuously might be enough to restore prophetic authority if the prophetic leader only takes full responsibility for the failure.

But looking at Deuteronomy 18, this would not be enough to restore prophetic authority, as verse 20 says,

But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.

This speaks for heavy prophetic responsibility. Getting only one prediction wrong will lead to the death of the prophet. Because the Torah spoke for death penalty in various occasions, many have interpreted this as a death sentence actioned by the Jewish community. But in fact, the text only says that the prophet shall die, implying that it is God himself that will take their life. So, it wasn’t just the prophetic word but also the prophet who lost their authority.

Some modern interpreters maintain that this punishment of death was only for those prophets who deceived the Israelites to follow false gods, but the text makes it clear that the same punishment was reserved for those who spoke in the name of Yahweh presumptuously.

The word translated in Deuteronomy 18 as presumption is also translated in the Old Testament as arrogance or pride.

This gives us an important insight into the nature of presumption. Prophetic words spoken presumptuously are spoken arrogantly. An arrogant person feels entitled to his or her view. He or she takes for granted that they are right. They don’t have to consult the Lord to check their view, but instead, they speak it out.

Were there any mitigating circumstances?

The most extreme example of what happened to false prophets is the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal which led to the slaughtering of four hundred prophets of Baal by Elijah. Perhaps the following depression was posttraumatic stress disorder!

But mostly, the consequences of false prophecy weren’t administered by the hands of the prophets. In case of Jeremiah 28:15-17,

And the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you made this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the Lord: I am going to send you off the face of the earth. Within this year you will be dead, because you have spoken rebellion against the Lord.” In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.

Jeremiah prophesied the death of Hananiah, and the prophet Hananiah died what might probably have looked like a natural death had you not heard the prophecy.

There are incidents in the Old Testament where a prophet spoke presumptuously but where the consequences weren’t that significant. 2 Samuel 7:1-4 says,

Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.” But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in?

Here, we can see that Nathan spoke presumptuously although it doesn’t seem that he prophesied. It seems more like a blessing. He didn’t inquire of the Lord but assumed that because God had anointed David, his plan would also be of God.

Looking at the contemporary church, this is an area where presumption often happens. This is also the weak point of the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement, which emphasises the authority of the office rather than the accuracy of the word. There is an assumption that the plans of the apostolic and prophetic leaders will automatically be blessed, even when they don’t inquire of the Lord.

A good example of presumption based on office is when Bill Johnson, Che Ahn, John Arnott, and Rich Joynerprophesied over Todd Bentley just before his public fall from ministry. 

Delayed prophecy

There are two mitigating factors, and one of them is time.

Jeremiah 25:1-3 says,

The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah (that was the first year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon), which the prophet Jeremiah spoke to all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah, to this day, the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened.

Jeremiah had prophesied about the impending destruction of Jerusalem for twenty-three years, but it had not yet taken place. Many Jews would have probably classified Jeremiah as a false prophet through all that time. This shows that we must be careful with prophesies that don’t have a clear time limit.

But this doesn’t justify the prophecies that clearly said that Trump would win a second term in 2020. 

Unlike Kris Valloton, so many charismatic prophets have resorted to lies and conspiracy theories to cover up the fact that their prophecies were false. They would rather change their description of reality than admit they were wrong.

Another mitigating factor is the symbolic nature of many prophetic dreams and visions. I have looked at this in detail in my book Understanding Revelation.

In this case, a symbolic prophetic vision is interpreted literally. Again, this doesn’t justify the QAnon theories of Trump still being the president secretly, as none of the prophecies predicted any sort of secret presidency. 

Sometimes genuine prophecies are misinterpreted. That is another issue. But when you inspect the original prophecy retrospectively, it should be clear that misinterpretation has taken place. Most Old Testament prophecies about Jesus were misinterpreted by Jesus’s contemporaries, but that didn’t make them false. Often it becomes clear that a prophecy has been misinterpreted only after it has been fulfilled.

False prophets in the New Testament church

Let us now turn our attention to the New Testament. When the New Testament books and epistles were written, the main reference point would have been the Old Testament, which was the only written Word of God. Consequently, the writers of the New Testament sought to apply the Old Testament teachings in the new context and through the lens of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus had some sharp words regarding false prophets. Matthew 7:15-20 says,

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.

In Jesus’s words, the false prophets could be recognised by their fruit. This passage doesn’t refer to the predictive element of prophecy, but you could say that a false prophecy is also a bad fruit.

Verses 21-23 say,

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’

It seems that there has been a change of emphasis. It is possible to do mighty works in Jesus’s name including prophesying, and yet to be an evildoer not known by God.

This is remarkable. But what is noteworthy is that it doesn’t justify false or presumptuous prophecy. In fact, it seems to say that even the false prophets can get their prophecies right, but it doesn’t mean that they knew Jesus. So, Jesus is not reducing the biblical standard but upholding it.

Much like in the Old Testament, there is a blurred line between false prophets and false teachers in the New Testament.

False prophets according to John

1 John 4:1-3 says,

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world.

In my book Understanding Revelation, I look more deeply into John’s definition of antichrists as false teachers. But for John, the main feature of false prophets is that they don’t confess Jesus Christ as come in the flesh from God.

Again, this doesn’t reduce the biblical standard; it only places false prophets leading the believers astray in the 1st century context of emerging heresies within the Church.

Revelation 2:18-23 says,

And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze: “I know your works—your love, faith, service, and patient endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the first. But I have this against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice fornication and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her fornication. Beware, I am throwing her on a bed, and those who commit adultery with her I am throwing into great distress, unless they repent of her doings; and I will strike her children dead.

Like Jezebel in the Old Testament, this Jezebel of Thyatira led believes astray to a syncretistic religion. I write about this historical development in more detail in Understanding Revelation.

Revelation 22:18-19 says,

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

We can see how John upholds a very high standard of prophecy. In his case, his words must be preserved word for word.

Peter

2 Peter 2:1-3 says,

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Peter equates the Old Testament false prophets here with New Testament false teachers.

Paul says in Acts 20:29-30,

I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them.

Much like Jesus, Paul referred to the false prophets as wolves.

What is behind this emphasis on false teachers rather than false prophets in the New Testament? From the perspective of the apostles, the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of Jesus had been fulfilled. Their focus was on defending the revelation about Jesus rather than predictive prophecy. The principles of prophetic ministry had already been well outlined by the Old Testament prophets. In fact, the Book of Jeremiah is the best manual for prophetic ministry that you can find, and it details the prophetic processes much better than most contemporary manuals written by anyone claiming to be a prophet. There was simply no reason to duplicate this work.

Ambiguous visions

Much of the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement has escaped the demands for accuracy to the spiritual realm, as the events happening in the invisible world are by nature directly unverifiable and they can be verified only indirectly.

There is a reality to the spiritual battle in the heavenlies, but Paul says in Colossians 2:18-19,

Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.

There is no way of knowing whether a prophet who says he or she has met an angel has in fact met one, although the false doctrines that many of these people boasting about meeting an angel demonstrate that if they did in fact encounter an angel, it wasn’t an angel of the Lord.

Much of the so-called prophetic in the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement is in fact empty boasting about spiritual experiences, which are unverifiable by nature.

In 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 Paul seems to refer to his spiritual experiences in third person:

It is necessary to boast; nothing is to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 

I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows—was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat.

Paul implies that sharing some of our spiritual experiences even if genuine can be damaging to the hearers, and he has more important things, such as preaching the gospel, to do. In the charismatic world many new and dangerous doctrines have been generated out of false spiritual experiences. And some dangerous doctrines have even been generated out of genuine spiritual experiences.

In Revelation 19:10, an angel says to John.

Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

The greatest prophecy in the Bible has always been about Jesus, and the apostles were totally consumed by this revelation.

We can see that New Testament has in no way reduced the standards for accuracy. But what has changed is that the whole church has now become a prophetic community. When Peter explains the first outpouring of the Spirit in the First Pentecost (Acts 2), he chooses the word of the prophet Joel, which say that everyone who will receive the Holy Spirit will prophesy. The New Testament church is supposed to be a prophetic community where prophetic gift will proliferate.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:29,

Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.

What can be said is that the because of Jesus’s work, the consequences of false prophecy are less severe, and that false teaching is perceived to be more dangerous than false prophecy in the New Testament. Yet, there is still a seriousness about sharing prophetic words, but there is more security because the prophetic Spirit has been released on the whole community.

But if the consequences of false prophecy in the New Testament are less severe, neither can the prophets in our era claim the authority of the Old Testament prophets. Yet some contemporary prophets claim Old Testament authority even when their words have been proven wrong.

1 John 2:27 says,

As for you, the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and so you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, abide in him.

In the end, the spirit of the prophets should be the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit never lies. And if a prophet doesn’t speak in the anointing of the Holy Spirit, he will either speak presumptuously – that is without the Holy Spirit, or under an influence of another spirit.

It is my view that the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement is in a need of much repentance for speaking presumptuously rather than in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We dishonour God when we speak presumptuously in his name.

May God help us find our way back to biblical understanding of prophetic ministry.

You can connect with Marko on Twitter @markojoensuu and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mpjoensuu/ or by visiting markojoensuu.com. 

Revelation 1:20 says:

As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

The Son of Man holds the seven stars in His hand. This indicates that the angelic forces represented by the stars are commanded by the Son of Man. They are not independent agents, but they will do only what the Son of Man will command them to do. They are not our servants but God’s servants, fully obedient to Him.

Paul writes in Colossians 2:18-19:

Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.

Colossae was located only ten miles from Laodicea, and this problem with angel worship in churches was not unique to this city. Horsley and Luxford present a fascinating study of the epigraphic evidence of pagan angels in Roman Asia Minor. Angels have widely been assumed to come to pagan thinking from Judaism at later date, but their research shows that pagans might have believed in angels a lot longer than thought. For example, there are inscriptions in Roman Asia Minor where angels are subject to Zeus. Also, there are angels that appear as Apollo’s agents in dispensing justice. (Horsley and Luxford 2016, 153, 157) These inscriptions were carved around the time of John and Paul.

In Lykia, there is an inscription from the third century that can be translated as “This is God, and we angeloi [angels] are a small portion of God.” (ibid., 159)

According to Horsey and Luxford (ibid., 177-178), the dichotomy between good and bad angels that developed in Judaism is lacking in the pagan descriptions of angels, perhaps because the pagan system was not monotheistic. There have been suggestions that the angels in Roman Asia Minor had a Persian origin. But perhaps they had multiple origins, and there was no consistent belief system around them.

But we can now understand how it would have been easy for the Greeks coming from a polytheistic religious system to attribute divinity to angels after they converted to Christianity. After all, in the pagan system, the angels were a portion of God, and not that dissimilar from the Greek gods. For them, angels provided a bridge between Christianity and paganism, and talking about angels to pagans would have been a lot less offensive than talking about the crucified Christ.

So, when Paul writes about wrestling against evil principalities and powers in the heavenly realms in Ephesians 6:12, he is perhaps also seeking to debunk an idea that somehow these forces represented by Greek and Roman gods could have been in the service of God.

Instead, Paul says that they represent a separate spiritual system that is hostile to God.

Here John presents in a visual way the supremacy of Christ over the unfallen angels that serve Him. Jesus is almighty, and the mighty angels are mere tools in his hand. They are directed by Jesus’s hand. 

They are God’s messengers.

This is also a vision about Jesus as the King of Kings, as it resembles a popular Roman coin. An aureus—a Roman gold coin valued at 25 silver denarii—of the empress Domitia, the wife of Emperor Domitian, depicts the deified infant son of the emperor seated on the globe and stretching his hands to seven stars (Hemer 2001, 4).

Whereas the Roman coin depicted the son of the emperor reaching out to the Roman gods and being lower than the stars, Revelation portrays Jesus as the Lord over the seven stars, which in this description are angels. This reference to angels as stars will reappear in Revelation 12:4, where one third of the stars follow the dragon. Through this imagery John depicts the gods that the son of the emperor worships as nothing more than fallen stars—demons.

We can begin to see the assault on the Roman belief system and gods, including the deified emperor, which permeates large parts of Revelation, including John’s description of the beast. 

But the most important reference point is not a Roman coin but Habakkuk 3:3-5:

God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. The brightness was like the sun; rays came forth from his hand, where his power lay hidden. Before him went pestilence, and plague followed close behind.

Like the bright stars, rays were flashing from His hand. Both Habakkuk and Revelation present Jesus as God, the Holy One, who will also bring pestilence. Ultimately, all the pestilences that will follow in Revelation are His judgment. We can see how skilfully Revelation weaves together the biblical imagery with the situation that the Christians found themselves in the Roman Empire. But Habakkuk’s text itself is a reference to Moses’ final blessing of Israel in Deuteronomy 33:1-2:

This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the Israelites before his death. He said: “The Lord came from Sinai, and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran. With him were myriads of holy ones; at his right, a host of his own.”

This blessing comes straight after the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy; the Song of Moses is referred to later in Revelation. We begin to see how Revelation is making continual references to the Law and the Prophets: the two witnesses. By using symbolic language that refers to the Old Testament texts, Revelation claims that both the Law and the Prophets testify that Jesus is God. Later in Revelation, we will reencounter these two witnesses. Then, they will testify against Jerusalem.

Sources

Hemer, Colin J. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting. W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 2001.

Horsley, G. H. R., and J. M. Luxford. ‘Pagan Angels in Roman Asia Minor: Revisiting the Epigraphic Evidence.’ Anatolian Studies 66 (2016): 141–83.

For more on the Book of Revelation, you can read my book Understanding Revelation.

Jumalan äänen erottamisen oppiminen ei ole aina helppoa. Samuel oli yksi Vanhan Testamentin suurista profeetoista, mutta kun Jumala puhui hänelle ensi kerran, hän ei edes ymmärtänyt, että kyseessä oli Jumala.

Kun saat joltain sähköpostia, ei ole koskaan 100% varmuutta siitä, että lähettäjä on se, kuka hän sanoo olevansa. Mutta kun lepäät Jeesuksen rinnalla, voit olla aivan varma, että hän on Jeesus.

Jumalan läsnäolo on kuin ainutlaatuinen parfyymi, jota kukaan muu ei voi käyttää ja ainoastaan Jumala voi valmistaa. Se täyttää kaiken, mitä hän tekee ja sanoo.

On mahdotonta erottaa Jumala hänen läsnäolostaan. Tämän takia suuret herätykset ovat aina täynnä hänen läsnäoloaan.

Kun seurustelin tulevan vaimoni kanssa, hän lähetti minulle kirjeitä, joiden päälle hän suihkutti tiettyä parfyymia. Kerran hän lähetti minulle teddy-karhun, joka oli varmaan kastettu siinä parfyymissa. Ja upotuskasteella! Tästä parfyymista tuli minulle rakkauden tuoksu.Vielä tänään, yli kaksikymmentäviisi vuotta sen jälkeen, kun hän lakkasi käyttämästä sitä, sieraimiini tarttuu silloin tällöin tämä tuoksu jollain Lontoon kadulla. Ympärilläni on tuhansia tuoksuja, mutta kun haistan tämän tuoksun, katson ympärilleni ja odotan näkeväni hänet. Jumalan läsnäolo on kuin tällainen parfyymi. Kun opit tunnistamaan sen, et voi enää erehtyä siitä.

 Jumalan, sielun ja vihollisen ääni

Jumalan puhe on täynnä hänen läsnäoloansa. Älä kiinnitä huomiota ajatuksiin, jotka tulevat ilmestyksenomaisesti, mutta joilla ei  ole  hänen  läsnäolonsa  tuntua.  Näin pysyt turvassa, sillä sielunvihollinen yrittää aina kaapata lisääntyvän hengellisen avoimuutesi. Ihmisen henki on hänen kykynsä olla yhteydessä hengelliseen maailmaan, ja kun hengellinen herkkyytemme kehittyy, altistumme myös niiden demonisten olentojen vaikutuksille, jotka elävät hengellisessä ulottuvuudessa.

Meidän ei pidä keskittyä demoneihin, mutta on hyvä tietää, että niiden tuoma hämmennys voi tappaa profetian armolahjan.

Sielun, sielunvihollisen ja Jumalan tuomilla ajatuksilla on kaikilla energiaa, mutta niillä on kaikilla selvästi erilainen läsnäolo. Kun opit erottamaan energialähteiden erilaisen laadun, opit myös erottamaan ajatusten alkuperän.

Päivittäin kuulen Jumalan äänen ainakin kerran, mutta kuulen myös sielunvihollisen äänen, kun hän yrittää jäljitellä Jumalan ääntä.

Sisimpämme kaipuu ja pelot puhuvat myös meille. Mutta tarpeittemme äänessä ei ole Jumalan läsnäoloa ja rauhaa, vaan ne ovat täynnä sielumme levotonta energiaa.

Jumala tuo selvyyden

Kun Jumala puhuu meille, hän tuo selvyyttä. Meillä kaikilla on hetkiä, jolloin me yhtäkkiä näemme elämän osasia tarkasti. Usein tämä selvyys tulee meille verbaalisessa muodossa. Joskus kyse on siitä, että alitajuntamme on työstämässä ratkaisuja ongelmiimme, mutta jos tämä selvyys on täynnä Jumalan läsnäoloa, niin todennäköisesti se on Jumalan puhetta.

Jumalan läsnäolo sykkii positiivista energiaa ja energistä rauhaa.

Jumalan läsnäolo ei koskaan väsytä meitä, vaan lataa meidät uudelleen.

Paavali kirjoittaa:

Eihän Jumala ole antanut meille pelkuruuden henkeä, vaan voiman, rakkauden ja terveen harkinnan hengen. (2. Tim. 1:7)'

Jos hengelliset kokemuksesi väsyttävät sinua, ne eivät luultavasti ole Jumalalta. Emme aina koe Jumalan läsnäolon energiaa voimakkaana, mutta rukouselämämme ei pitäisi uuvuttaa tai hämmentää meitä.

Jumalalta tullut sana on kuin kaksiteräinen miekka, tuoden selvyyttä hämmennyksen keskelle, positiivisia ratkaisuja negatiiviseen maailmaan ja rakkautta välinpitämättömyyden keskelle. Jumala ei koskaan hämmennä tai syytä. Syyttävät ajatukset, jotka tulevat sielunviholliselta, sammuttavat hengellisen energian, mutta kehottavat sanat Jumalalta ovat täynnä positiivista voimaa, joka tuo mukanaan energian tehdä oikein.

Jumala ei halua meidän toimivan profetioiden, unien tai näkyjen perusteella, jos emme ole varmoja niiden alkuperästä.

Tämä on yksi tärkeimmistä oppitunneista profeetallisessa palvelutyössä. Sinulla saattaa olla kiire tehdä jotain silloinkin, kun olet hämmentynyt. Jumalalla ei ole kiire. Hän haluaa sinun toimivan vain Pyhän Hengen antamalla rohkeudella ja selkeällä mielellä.

Jos en tiedä, mistä ajatukseni ovat peräisin, rukoilen. Jos tuon sielunvihollisen antamat ajatukset Jumalan eteen, hän yleensä vastustaa niitä selvästi. Mikäli ajatukseni ovat vain sielun tuotetta, Jumala usein tyytyy ohjaamaan ajatukseni hellästi hänen tahtoonsa.

Jos tuot jotakin Jumalalle rukouksessa uudestaan ja uudestaan, eikä hän kommentoi siihen ollenkaan, ajatus ei todennäköisesti ole Jumalasta, ellet ole varma siitä, että se oli alun perin Jumalalta. Silloin et voi tehdä muuta kuin odottaa kärsivällisesti, kunnes hän puhuu asiasta uudestaan. Joskus siihen voi kulua vuosia, mutta odotellessa Jumala puhuu sinulle muista asioista.

Sielunvihollisen palavat nuolet

Omat ajatuksemme ovat täynnä inhimillistä energiaa. Sielunvihollisen antamat ajatukset ovat täynnä demonista myrkkyä. Ne ovat aktiivisia, keskeyttäen ajatuskulkumme, ja usein ne pyrkivät jäljittelemään Jumalan ääntä. Mutta niissä ei ole Jumalan voimaa. Joskus niitä ympäröi voitonriemu, kun sielunvihollinen yrittää viehättää meissä olevaa ylpeyttä. Mutta sielunvihollinen ei pysty koskaan jäljittelemään Jumalan läsnäoloa.

Usein koen Jumalan läsnäoloa, mutta sen ympärillä on jonkinlainen hengellinen häiriötila. Silloin tutkin kaikki ajatukset ja sanat, jotka kuulen sisimmässäni, hyvin tarkkaan. Säteilevätkö ne rauhaa, vai tunnenko Jumalan läsnäolon vain sen tähden, että hän suojelee minua viholliselta ja hänen demonista myrkyltään?

Ehkä sielunvihollinen voi lukea ajatuksemme; ehkä ei. Mutta Saatana ja hänen demoninsa ovat opiskelleet ihmisen käyttäytymistä tuhansien vuosien ajan, ja ne voivat lähes aina päätellä mitä me ajattelemme.

Kun oli yhdeksäntoista, olin töissä psykiatrisessa sairaalassa. Olin alkanut ymmärtää, että Jumala oli kehittämässä minun kykyäni kuulla hänen ääntään. Yhtenä päivänä astuin ulos hissistä ja näin potilaan, joka sairasti Alzheimer-tautia.

“Rukoile hänen puolestaan, ja hän paranee!” Kuulin tämän lujan äänen mielessäni. Ensivaikutelmani oli, että Jumala oli haastamassa uskoani, erityisesti sen tähden, että olin juuri lukenut evankeliumien kertomuksista, miten Jeesus paransi sairaita. Mutta jokin tuntui väärältä. Minulla ei ollut parantamisen armolahjaa, mutta kun epäröin, tunsin voimakkaan syyllisyyden ja pakkomielteen toimia vyöryvän päälleni. Se sai minut tuntemaan, että potilaan paraneminen olisi minun vastuullani, ja jos en toimisi, ryöstäisin häneltä hänen parantumisensa.

Ymmärsin silloin, että sielunvihollisella oli kyky kommunikoida henkeni kanssa. Tämä johti minua etsimään Jumalan läheisyyttä yksinäisyydessä.

Hengessä rukoileminen

Jeesus sanoi:

Tulee aika – ja se on jo nyt – jolloin kaikki oikeat rukoilijat rukoilevat Isää hengessä ja totuudessa. Sellaisia rukoilijoita Isä tahtoo. Jumala on henki, ja siksi niiden, jotka häntä rukoilevat, tulee rukoilla hengessä ja totuudessa. (Joh. 4:23-24)

Ei ole selvää yksimielisyyttä siitä, viittaako sana pneuma, joka voidaan kääntää joko “henkenä” tai “Henkenä”, Pyhään Henkeen, kun Jeesus puhuu rukoilemisesta “hengessä ja totuudessa”, mutta en usko, että meidän tarvitsee jättää rukouselämämme syvyys raamatunkääntäjien vastuulle. Pyhä Henki asuu sinussa – rukoiletko mieluummin ilman häntä vai hänen kanssaan?

On selvä ero Hengellä täytetyn rukouksen ja ylistyksen ja pelkästään uskonnollisen rukouksen ja ylistyksen välillä.

Yksi tapa oppia profetoimaan on rukoileminen ja ylistäminen Hengessä. Tämä tarkoittaa sitä, että annat Pyhän Hengen ohjata ylistystä ja esirukousta Jumalan läsnäolon virran avulla. Usein esirukous, joka virtaa Hengessä, alkaa kehittää profeetallisen ulottuvuuden.

Usein vain pieni askel erottaa profetian Hengen innoittamasta esirukouksesta, joka ilmentää Jumalan rakkautta.

Esimerkiksi olen rukoillut Lontoon ja San Franciscon kaupunkien puolesta, ja Hengen innoittama esirukous on muuttunut profetiaksi.

Usein löydän Jumalan tahdon profeetallisen esirukouksen kautta, kun Pyhä Henki ohjaa rukoukseni tiettyyn suuntaan. Tunnen Pyhän Hengen energian, kun rukoilen tiettyjen asioiden puolesta, mutta tämä energia katoaa, kun rukoilen toisten asioiden puolesta, ja minulle on selvää, mistä asioista Jumala välittää.

Tämä artikkeli on otettu Viisi askelta -kirjasta.
Marko Joensuu on kirjailija ja toimittaja, joka on työskennellyt yli 21 vuotta Kensington Temple -seurakunnassa Lontoossa media- ja missiotyössä. Hänen kirjojaan on painettu viidellä eri kielellä.

Henkien erottamisen armolahja on elintärkeä tehokkaassa profeetallisessa palvelutyössä ja erityisesti tilanteissa, joissa sinulla ei ole aikaa etsiä Jumalan johdatusta Hänen läsnäolossaan.

Esim. jos palvelet käyttäen profetian armolahjaa, eteen tulee aina suuri joukko ihmisiä rukoiltavaksi. Et ole ehkä tavannut ketään näistä ihmisistä aikaisemmin. Käytän armolahjaa näiden ihmisten hengellisen tilan erottamiseen. Joskus saan heille profetian, mutta erotan, että he eivät ole hengellisesti valmiita vastaanottamaan sitä, sillä heidän sitoutumisensa Jeesukseen ei ole riittävän vahva. Jumalalla on suunnitelma Heidän elämälleen, mutta he eivät ole vielä valmiita vastaanottamaan sitä. Toisinaan uskovat pyytävät minua vahvistamaan profetian he kertovat jonkun muun antaneen heille, mutta erotan, että he vain naamioivat sydämensä halun uskonnollisella kielenkäytöllä. On huolestuttavaa, miten monet ihmiset ajattelevat, että profeetan siunaus voi muuttaa kaiken silloinkin, kun Jumala on eri mieltä heidän kanssaan. Joskus erotan, että ihmiset valehtelevat; toisinaan erotan synnin heidän elämässään.

Kerron heille vain harvoin mitä näen. Sen sijaan käytän mitä erotan materiaalina diagnostisille, suorille mutta armollisille kysymyksille, mistä tahansa asiasta onkaan kysymys. Loppujen lopuksi nämä ihmiset ovat etsimässä Jumalaa ainakin jollakin tasolla, vaikka he eivät olekaan valmis paljastamaan sydämensä salaisuuksia. Ensimmäinen Pietarin kirje 4:8 sanoo:

Ennen kaikkea olkoon teidän rakkautenne toisianne kohtaan harras, sillä "rakkaus peittää syntien paljouden".

Henkien erottamisen armolahja ei ole ihmisten paljastamisen armolahja vaan lahja, jonka avulla ihmiset vapautetaan.

Jos koet, että jonkun elämässä on demonisia vaikutuksia, toimi seuraavalla tavalla:

1. Etene varovasti kunnes olet varma

On sallittua ja viisasta edetä hitaasti. Henkien erottamisen armolahjan käyttäminen tuntuu joskus kuin valoisasta pimeään huoneeseen astumiselta. Vie hieman aikaa ennen kuin silmät sopeutuvat, mutta pian alamme erottamaan huoneen kalusteet.

2. Kysy kysymyksiä äläkä profetoi

Yksi kaikista tuhoisimmista työtavoista on sen "profetoiminen", mitä näet henkien erottamisen tai tiedon sanojen armolahjojen avulla. Tämä tuo ihmiset tuomion alle. Tämän tähden sinun ei pidä lähes koskaan kertoa rukoiltavalle yksityiskohtaisen tarkasti mitä näet. Sen sijaan käytä mitä näet raaka-aineena kysymyksille.

3. Älä anna pimeyden sanella palvelutyösi luonnetta

Paholainen on valehtelija, ja usein hän yrittää sanella palvelutyösi tavan ympäröimällä sinut petoksella, pelolla tai epämukavilla tunteilla. Jos annat hänen pettää sinut, reagoit mihin tahansa hän projisoi sinuun tai siihen, jonka puolesta rukoilet. Tämän sijasta tarkkaile rukoiltavaa, hengellistä levottomuutta ympärilläsi ja Pyhän Hengen virtaa sisimmästäsi. Sinun pitää tiedostaa kaikki kolme. Älä reagoi sielunvihollisen työskentelyyn vaan alistu Pyhän Hengen työhön sisimmässäsi.

4. Odota Pyhän Hengen virtaa sisimmästäsi

Jumalan läsnäolo suojelee sinua ja ohjaa kaikkeen totuuteen. Jeesus sanoo Evankeliumissa Johanneksen mukaan 14:26:

Mutta Puolustaja, Pyhä Henki, jonka Isä on lähettävä minun nimessäni, hän opettaa teille kaikki ja muistuttaa teitä kaikesta, minkä minä olen teille sanonut.

Sinun pitää odottaa Auttajan saapumista. Odota Pyhän Hengen läsnäolon virtaa ennen kuin yrität mennä asioiden ytimeen.

5. Rukoile Hengen virrassa

Jokainen demonisen läsnäolon tai vaikutuksen kohtaaminen on hengellinen taistelu. Tämän takia sinun pitää rukoilla ja palvella vain Pyhän Hengen virrassa.

6. Rukoile jälkeenpäin

Jokainen vihollisen kohtaaminen on rasittava. Jos menet töihin Lontoon viemäriverkostoon ja sen jälkeen kotiin, peset varmasti itsesi tarkkaan ennen kuin annat suukon vaimollesi! Samoin henkien erottamisen armolahjan käyttäminen vaatii rukousta jälkeenpäin. Muuten demonisten vaikutusten kohtaamisella muiden elämässä on negatiivinen vaikutus omassa elämässäsi.

Jos et ole varovainen, alat kantamaan sitä masennusta, ahdistusta, pelkoa tai niitä negatiivisia ajatuksia niiden ihmisten elämässä, joiden puolesta olet rukoillut. Me palvelemme usein ihmisiä, jotka ovat kuoleman varjon laaksossa. Palvelemisen jälkeen meidän ei tule jäädä laaksoon vaan kiivetä takaisin Jumalan läsnäolon vuorelle.

Tämä artikkeli on otettu Yliluonnollinen rakkaus -kirjasta.
Marko Joensuu on kirjailija ja toimittaja, joka on työskennellyt yli 21 vuotta Kensington Temple -seurakunnassa Lontoossa media- ja missiotyössä. Hänen kirjojaan on painettu viidellä eri kielellä.

Henkien erottamisen lahja on kyky erottaa hengellisiä vaikutuksia ja läsnäoloja elämässämme ja ympäristössämme.

Kirje heprealaisille 4:12 sanoo:

Sillä Jumalan sana on elävä ja voimallinen ja terävämpi kuin mikään kaksiteräinen miekka ja tunkee lävitse, kunnes se erottaa sielun ja hengen, nivelet sekä ytimet, ja on sydämen ajatusten ja aivoitusten tuomitsija.

Jumalan Sanan opiskelu antaa meille erottamiskykyä, ja ensimmäiseksi se alkaa tuoda sitä omiin motivaatioihimme, näyttäen, mikä on sielusta ja mikä Pyhästä Hengestä.

Tämä ei ole se varsinainen henkien erottamisen lahja, mutta perustavanlaatuinen erottamiskyky, jonka jokainen uskova tarvitsee elämässään. Tietääkseesi mikä elämässäsi on Jumalasta, sinun pitää myös tietää mikä on omasta sielustasi. Ja Jumalan Sana yhdessä Pyhän Hengen kanssa alkaa tuomaan tätä erottelua, jotta kykenet ymmärtämään omat motivaatiosi selvemmin. Mutta vaikka Sanan tunteminen on välttämätöntä henkien erottamisen armolahjan toimimiselle, itse lahja on Jumalan läsnäolossa vietettyjen pitkien aikajaksojen sivutuote.

Henkien erottamisen armolahja syntyy Jumalan läsnäolossa. Se on profeetallinen armolahja ja hyödyllinen vain silloin, kun se toimii profetian armolahjan ja Jumalan äänen kuulemiskyvyn kanssa. Jos et kykene kuulemaan Jumalan ääntä, et voi laittaa henkien erottamisen armolahjaa hyödylliseen käyttöön, ja se voi jopa johtaa sinua harhaan, sillä voit helposti tulkita väärin syyt hengelliseen häiriötilaan. Kun herkistyt Jumalan läsnäolon tuntemisessa, tulet myös herkemmäksi ympärillämme vaikuttavien demonisten läsnäolojen tuntemisessa.

Voit olla tietoinen demonisista läsnäoloista, mutta tämä ei ole välttämättä henkien erottamisen armolahja. Esim. monet taiteilijat ovat hengellisesti herkkiä. Meediot voivat joskus aistia demonien läsnäolon. Mutta ainoastaan Pyhän Hengen voiman ja läsnäolon kautta voimme alkaa erottamaan, mitä nämä voimat todella ovat. Tietoisuus demonisista olennosta, mikä ei ole tullut Jumalalta, on vaarallista, sillä sinulla ei ole hengellistä voimaa vastustaa ja erottaa demonisia petoksia ilman Pyhää Henkeä.

Henkien erottamisen armolahja Raamatussa

Voimme nähdä henkien erottamisen armolahjan toimimisen monissa Raamatussa kerrotuissa tilanteissa.

Apostolien teoissa 5:1-11 Pietari haastaa Ananiaan ja Safiiran, jotka valehtelivat antaneensa pois koko talon myyntihinnan. Tämän takia he molemmat kuolivat. Pietari sanoo jakeessa 3:

Ananias, miksi on saatana täyttänyt sinun sydämesi, niin että koetit pettää Pyhää Henkeä?

Epäilemättä Pietari käytti henkien erottamisen armolahjaa, vaikka hän ei ehkä kutsunutkaan sitä nimeltä.

Apostolien teoissa 16:16-19 Paavalin ollessa Filippissä, orjatyttö, jossa oli tietäjähenki, seurasi Paavalia ja hänen kumppaneitaan huutaen, että he olivat korkeimman Jumalan palvelijoita ja että he julistaisivat filippiläisille pelastuksen tien.

Paavali kuunteli häntä kolme päivää, mutta lopulta hän suuttuneena käski henkeä jättämään tytön. Tämän jälkeen orjatytön isännät, jotka tienasivat runsaasti hänen ennustamisestaan, valittivat kaupungin hallitusmiehille, jotka heittivät Paavalin vankilaan.

Tämä on yksi Pyhän Hengen työn mielenkiintoisimmista esimerkeistä Raamatussa. Miksi Paavali ei ajanut demonia ulos heti? Miksi hän odotti kolme päivää?

Uskon, että henkien erottamisen armolahjan avulla Paavali oli epäluuloinen siitä syystä, minkä tähden demoninen henki laittoi orjatytön julistamaan jotain, mikä näytti pinnallisesti tukevan Paavalin asiaa.

Lopulta Paavali luultavasti ajoi demonin ulos, sillä hän ei halunnut hyväksyä demonin todistusta. Mutta näyttää siltä, että demoninen henki yritti saada Paavalin reagoimaan, ja se onnistui. Tämän takia Paavali ja hänen kumppaninsa heitettiin vankilaan.

Onneksi Jumala voitti vihollisen ja käytti Paavalia tuomaan filippiläisen vanginvartijan uskoon. Mutta me voimme nähdä vihollisen monimutkaisen juonen toiminnassa, sillä mikään ei ole miltä se näyttää.

Ymmärrätkö, miten tärkeä henkien erottamisen armolahja on? Lopulta Paavali reagoi suuttuneena uskoen ehkä Jumalan kykenevän pelastamaan hänet mistä tahansa vaikeudesta.

Paholaisen kolme pääasetta ovat pelko,synti ja petos.Evankeliumissa Johanneksen mukaan 8:44 Jeesus sanoo,että paholainen on murhaaja ja valehtelija. Murhaajana hän hyökkää meitä kohti väkivaltaisesti, ja tämä tuo mukanaan pelkoa. Valehtelijana hän ympäröi meidät petoksella. Ja Eedenin puutarhan kiusauksista lähtien hän on aina houkutellut meitä tekemään syntiä.

Kaikki nämä kolme asetta saavat energiansa niihin liittyvästä demonisesta läsnäolosta. Jumalan läsnäolo on rajaton, mutta enkelien ja demonien hengellinen läsnäolo on rajallinen, ja niiden läsnäolo on laadullisesti erilainen kuin Jumalan.

Jumalan läsnäolo tuottaa hedelmää, ja niin tekee myös vihollisen läsnäolo, mutta tämä läsnäolo tuottaa pilaantunutta hedelmää, jos annamme sen vaikuttaa elämäämme.

Kirje galatalaisille 5:22-23 ilmoittaa, että Jumalan läsnäolon hedelmä elämässämme on rakkaus, ilo, rauha, pitkämielisyys, ystävällisyys, hyvyys, uskollisuus, sävyisyys ja itsensähillitseminen.

Jos annamme demonisen läsnäolon vaikuttaa elämäämme, sen hedelmä on pelko, synti ja petos. Uskon jokaisen demonin omaavan kaikki nämä kolme demonisen läsnäolon asetta – pelon, synnin ja petoksen – mutta me koemme tämän demonisen läsnäolon demonien kullakin hetkellä vallitsevan toimintatavan kautta.

Kirjeessä efesolaisille 2:1-3 Paavali kirjoittaa demonisten voimien kokonaisvaltaisesta läsnäolosta ympärillämme ja siitä kuinka se tuo synnin elämäämme:

Ja Jumala on eläviksi tehnyt teidät, jotka olitte kuolleet rikoksiinne ja synteihinne, joissa te ennen vaelsitte tämän maailman menon mukaan, ilmavallan hallitsijan, sen hengen hallitsijan, mukaan, joka nyt tekee työtään tottelemattomuuden lapsissa, joiden joukossa mekin kaikki ennen vaelsimme lihamme himoissa, noudattaen lihan ja ajatusten mielitekoja, ja olimme luonnostamme vihan lapsia niinkuin muutkin.

Tämä ei tarkoita sitä, että me voimme syyttää paholaista kaikesta synnistä elämässämme, mutta meidän tulee ymmärtää, että paholainen toimii houkuttelemalla lihaa – sitä kaikkea, mikä ei ole elämässämme Jumalan vallan alla. Järkemme ja tunteemme kuuluvat usein lihan alueelle, sillä ne eivät ole automaattisesti Jumalan vallan alla. Mutta Paavali sanoo myös, että vihollisen läsnäolo on yhtä läpitunkeva kuin ilma, jota hengitämme. Se ympäröi meitä aina. Kiitos Jumalalle, että Hän on antanut meille Pyhän Hengen asumaan pysyvästi sisimmässämme!

Ympäröivä demoninen ilmapiiri tekee vaikeammaksi uskoa Jumalan Sanaan, saa meidät unohtamaan Hänen lupauksensa ja yrittää irrottaa meidät Pyhän Hengen virrasta sisimmässämme tekemällä vaikeaksi kokea Jumalan läsnäoloa.

Seurakunta tarvitsee henkien erottamisen armolahjaa tänään kipeästi, mutta lahjaan liittyvät monet haasteet. Lahja tekee sinut tietoiseksi sielunvihollisen toiminnasta ympärilläsi mutta myös toisten ihmisten elämässä. Tämä voi olla emotionaalisesti kuluttavaa, ja henkien erottamisen armolahjassa toimiminen voi tuntua joskus kuin kaupungin viemäriverkoston läpi kävelemiseltä ruumis osittain jäteveden peittämänä.

Jos halajat yliluonnollista, paholainen tulee antamaan sinulle yliluonnollista, mutta yliluonnollinen tulee vain pettämään sinut.

Minusta on kauhistuttavaa, ettö monet karismaatikot näyttävät halukkaalta hyväksymään jopa demonien todistuksen, jos se on riittävän innostava! Mutta sielunvihollisen tuoman yliluonnollisen hyväksyminen avaa petoksen ovet elämäämme, ja pitkällä aikavälillä tämä tuo tuhon.

Henkien erottamisen armolahjan kehittäminenOlen löytänyt yhdeksän askelta täysin toimivan henkien erottamisen armolahjan kehittymisessä.
1. Raamatun opiskeleminen päivittäinJos haluat kehittää henkien erottamisen armolahjan, sinun tulee opiskella Raamattua säännöllisesti. Jumala on antanut meille ilmestyksensä Kirjoituksissa. Raamatun säännöllinen lukeminen alkaa tuomaan elämäämme hengellistä erottelukykyä. Joosuan kirjassa 1:8 Jumala puhuu Joosualle, joka valmistautuu luvattuun maahan saapumiseen ja vihollisten kohtaamiseen: 

Älköön tämä lain kirja sinun suustasi poistuko, vaan tutkiskele sitä päivät ja yöt, että tarkoin noudattaisit kaikkea, mitä siihen on kirjoitettu, sillä silloin sinä onnistut teilläsi ja silloin sinä menestyt.

Ainoastaan silloin, kun opiskelemme Kirjoituksia ahkerasti, voimme menestyä vihollistemme kukistamisessa.
2. Jumalan läsnäolon elämäntyylin vaaliminenRaamatun lukeminen on välttämätöntä, mutta se ei riitä. Meidän pitää viettää aikaa Jumalan todellisessa läsnäolossa ja oppia avaamaan elävän veden lähteet – Pyhän Hengen läsnäolo ja voima – sisimmässämme.
Henkien erottamisen armolahja vaatii sisäisen ja alituisen Pyhän Hengen läsnäolon virran toimiakseen. Se kuluttaa ehkä enemmän energiaa kuin mikään muu armolahja. Voi joskus tuntua siltä kuin kävelisit kaupungilla kantaen aktiivista, hengellistä ydinvoimalaa sisimmässäsi!
3. Tunteiden erottaminenSen avulla, mitä Raamattu opettaa tunteistamme ja Jumalan armon ja Pyhän Hengen voiman avulla, voit erottaa ja analysoida tunteitasi. Monet uskovat laiminlyövät tunteidensa ja motivaatioidensa ymmärtämisen yrittäen taistella negatiivisia tunteita vastaan uskon avulla. Mutta meidän pitää ymmärtää tunne-elämäämme ja sen dynamiikkaa. Jos koet olosi masentuneeksi, älä jätä tätä huomiotta vaan tunnusta se ja yritä ymmärtää masennuksen syy. Mikä on tuonut masennuksen? Onko sillä jokin erityinen syy? Tai jos olet vihainen, minkä tähden olet vihainen? Kaiva syvemmälle kuin pinnallisten motivaatioiden tasolle. Monien sielullisten ja lihallisten reaktioiden taustalla ovat useimmiten unohdetut kokemukset – muistot, jotka ohjaavat käyttäytymismallejamme ja vaikuttavatniihin huomaamatta. 4. Negatiivisten tunteiden ja elämysten vastustaminen uskon ja Jumalan läsnäolon avullaMutta omien tunteidemme ja motivaatioidemme analysointi ei riitä. Meidän pitää oppia käyttämään uskon kilpeä ja kätkeytyä Jumalan läsnäoloon. Psalmi 27:5 sanoo:

Sillä hän kätkee minut majaansa pahana päivänä, hän suojaa minua telttansa suojassa, korottaa minut kalliolle.

Jumalan läsnäolo on kilpemme ja suojamme Saatanan juonia vastaan.5. Erota tunteet niitä voimistavasta demonisesta voimastaKun etsit Jumalan läsnäolon kilven suojaa, huomaat ajan kuluessa kuinka tunteet ja ladatut osatotuudet, joita sielunvihollinen käyttää hyökkäyksissään, alkavat irtautua niiden taustalla vaikuttavasta demonisesta voimasta. Kun ne irtautuvat voimanlähteestään, ne alkavat menettää otettaan sinusta.6. Demonisten voimien kokeminen negatiivisina voimakenttinä tai sfääreinäKun koet tämän irtaantumisen tunteen, voit alkaa kokemaan demoniset hengelliset olennot jonkinlaisina negatiivisina voimakenttinä. Alat kokemaan kuinka niiden paine lisääntyy ja vähentyy mielessäsi. Ne saapuvat kuin rantaa lyövät aallot myrskyn alkaessa, mutta hitaasti, kunhan vastustat niitä lujasti, ne alkavat vetäytyä.
Jotkut näistä demonisista emootioista murtautuvat vielä väkisin puolustuksen läpi erityisesti silloin kun hyökkäykset ovat voimakkaita.
Mutta tässä vaiheessa sinun ei tarvitse eikä pidä olla minkäänlaisessa vuorovaikutuksessa näiden emootioiden ja demonisesti varattujen ajatusten kanssa. Sen sijaan sinun tulee odottaa uskon kilven alla ja Jumalan läsnäolossa, kunnes hyökkäyksen voimakkain vaihe on ohi, ja sen jälkeen voit rukoilla ja alkaa vastahyökkäyksen. Odottaessasi sinun tulee keskittyä löytämään uudelleen ja ylläpitämään Pyhän Hengen voiman ja läsnäolon virta elämässäsi. Et enää taistele vihollisen voimia vastaan aktiivisesti vaan keskityt Herraan, ja Hänen läsnäolonsa taistelee puolestasi.
Psalmi 46:11 kehottaa:

Heretkää ja tietäkää, että minä olen Jumala...

Tässä vaiheessa ymmärrät, että paholaisen päämääränä on irrottaa sinut Pyhän Hengen läsnäolon virrasta elämässäsi. Mutta olet Pyhän Hengen temppeli, ja sinun ei tarvitse ikinä jättää Hänen temppeliään. Sen sijaan voit piiloutua Hänen läsnäoloonsa.
Tässä paikassa elämän myrskyt eivät järkytä mieltäsi enää samalla tavalla kuin aikaisemmin. Ne saattavat vielä moukaroida sinua, mutta Herra ja Hänen läsnäolonsa ovat turvasi.7. Armolahjan käytön oppiminenHenkien erottamisen armolahja on sekä arkielämää että palvelutyötä varten. Rukoillessani odotan demonisten henkien tuoman myrskyn etääntymistä ennen kuin harjoitan aktiivista profeetallista kuulemista. Arkielämässäni vastustan sitä tapaa, jolla demoninen häiriötila yrittää pakottaa minut reagoimaan. Palvelutyössäni tarkkailen hengellistä ympäristöäni ja toimin ottaen sen huomioon.
Arkielämässä on tilanteita, joilla on täysin erilainen lopputulos riippuen hengellisestä ilmapiiristä.
Voit usein erottaa demonisen vaikutuksen läsnäolon ja toiminnan kokoustilassa, sillä sinua pommitetaan epäpuhtailla ja negatiivisilla ajatuksilla tai pelolla ja lannistavalla mielialalla. Koen usein demonisten voimien läsnäolon kuin kouriintuntuvana, raskaana seinänä, joka yrittää huutaa ja kertoa minulle, että sitä ei voi murtaa.
Yksi suurimpia yliluonnollisuuteen liittyvistä haasteista on se, että myös sielunvihollinen toimii tässä ulottuvuudessa. Tämä tuo vaikeuksia erityisesti profetian armolahjan käytön alueella.Usein, kun palvelen seurakunnassa, koen vahvaa hengellistä vastustusta. Tässä tilanteessa en hyväksy tai jaa mitään uutta ilmestystä vaan toimin luottaen Sanan ilmoitukseen ja erityisiin profeetallisiin ilmestyksiin, jotka Jumala on antanut ennen tilaisuutta. Tunnustelen ilmapiiriä henkien erottamisen armolahjan avulla. Astun profeetalliseen virtaan vasta kun tunnen, että hengellinen vastarinta poistuu.
Profeetallinen palvelutyö on palvelutyötä Jumalan läsnäolossa, ja jos en koe Hänen läsnäoloaan, en voi vastaanottaa profeetallista ilmoitusta.
Tähän on kaksi syytä. Ensin, voit tulla petetyksi. Toiseksi, vaikka et itse tulisikaan petetyksi, kuuntelijasi voivat tulla petetyksi.
Evankeliumi Matteuksen mukaan 13:19 sanoo:

Kun joku kuulee valtakunnan sanan eikä ymmärrä, niin tulee paha ja tempaa pois sen, mikä hänen sydämeensä kylvettiin. Tämä on se, mikä kylvettiin tien oheen.

Olen huomannut, että monesti ihmiset eivät ole vastaanottavaisia sanalle, ja paha tulee ja tempaa sanan pois ennen kuin sillä on aikaa minkäänlaiseen vaikutukseen.8. Jatkuvan hengellisen häiriötilan sietäminenYksi vaikeimmista tähän armolahjaan liittyvistä asioista on se, että tunnet ja koet näitä hengellisiä häiriötiloja usein, mikä voi olla rasittavaa tunne-elämälle ja jopa fyysisesti. Usein meitä kutsutaan elämään ja palvelemaan ympäristöissä, joissa synti on rakentanut linnakkeita ihmisten elämään, joten tästä ei voi aina paeta helposti. Meidän pitää vain oppia sietämään emotionaalista epämukavuutta.9. Opi lepäämään jälleen Jumalan läsnäolossaTarvitsemme säännöllisiä lepoaikoja Jumalan läsnäolossa. Muista, että palvelutyösi ei ole vain sotaa vaan sen ytimessä on lepo Jumalan läsnäolossa ja yhteys Hänen kanssaan. Psalmi 23:5 kertoo:

Sinä valmistat minulle pöydän minun vihollisteni silmien eteen.

Maailmassa ja ympärillämme on paljon hengellistä levottomuutta. Joskus meidän tulee vastustaa näitä ympärillämme toimivia demonisia voimia voimakkaasti, toisinaan jättää ne rauhaan.
Tämä artikkeli on otettu Yliluonnollinen rakkaus -kirjasta.
Marko Joensuu on kirjailija ja toimittaja, joka on työskennellyt yli 21 vuotta Kensington Temple -seurakunnassa Lontoossa media- ja missiotyössä. Hänen kirjojaan on painettu viidellä eri kielellä.

In Revelation 2, when we come to Pergamum, we encounter the One who has “the sharp two-edged sword” acknowledging that the Christians there live where “Satan’s throne is”, and where Satan “lives”. Between these two remarks about Satan’s residence is a reminder that Antipas was martyred there.

The reference to where Satan’s throne is and where he lives has been interpreted primarily in four ways. It has been suggested that it refers to:

• the Altar of Zeus and Athena in Pergamum

• the Asklepieion at the outskirts

• Pergamum as a centre of Roman rule in the province of Asia

• the imperial cult temple for Rome and Augustus somewhere in the city. (Friesen 2005, 357)

But all these four suggestions are somewhat unconvincing.

The Altar of Zeus and Athena was built as thanks for a victory over the Gauls in 190 BC. The reason why it has been a popular guess is that in the late nineteenth century the altar was one of the only monuments from Pergamum known to scholars, and the friezes were hauled off and displayed in the Pergamum Museum in Berlin. (ibid., 357, 359) For some conspiracy theorists, the fact that this altar is now located in a city associated with the Nazi Germany has proved tempting, and recently, it was referred to by some Christian Leave campaigners as part of the Brexit referendum.

But there is no obvious reason why this specific temple would have been singled out in Revelation.

The second candidate for the throne of Satan is the Pergamene Asklepieion—the healing complex related to the cult of Asklepios. (ibid., 359-360) Again, there is no obvious reason why this healing complex would have been referred to as Satan’s throne in Revelation.

Pergamum was not the Roman capital of Asia Minor, as Ephesus was the governmental centre, (ibid., 361) so the theory that this was the reason why it is referred to as Satan’s throne has no historical support.

The cult of Roma and Augustus was set up in Pergamum in 29 BC. (Friedrich 2002, 191) But the theory that Pergamum was called Satan’s throne because of it being a centre for emperor worship faces some difficulties.

In the time of the writing of Revelation, there were at least thirty-five cities in Asia Minor with temples dedicated to imperial divinities, (ibid., 192) so that would not have been a differentiating factor.

Pergamum was not Asia’s only cult for the emperor, and by the time of Emperor Domitian, there were three cults for the emperor in Asia Minor; there probably was not one central imperial temple in Asia Minor. Friesen suggests that it is the hostility leading to the martyrdom of Antipas that Satan’s throne is referring to. (Friesen 2005, 363, 365) This seems to be supported by the sandwich structure of the text with the martyrdom placed between two references to Satan.

What is clear is that in John’s mind Pergamum had some sort of concentration of demonic power, and this power was able to release serious persecution of Christians.

According to church tradition, Antipas, who had been discipled by John, was roasted to death in a brazen or copper bull in the temple of Artemis. There are many legends around this story, but the kernel of the story is probably true. We can safely assume that John would have been interceding for people he had been discipling, and this might have been the reason he received the revelation about Pergamum.

So, is the throne of Satan the throne of Artemis? Are we back with the same issue of idolatry that we were dealing with Ephesus but now with persecution?

I would suggest that these options exclude the only building in Pergamum that fits the bill simply because most scholars do not perceive the religious nature of the blood games in the amphitheatre.

But as today with the cutting off the throat of Christians by Islamic extremists, the slaughter of Christians was not just for bloody entertainment but a profoundly religious act.

Tertullian writes in The Apology of Tertullian, Chapter 15:

But may be I am to think you more religious in the amphitheatre, where the gods are brought in dancing upon human blood, and upon the dead bodies of criminals; the gods, I say, which supply the fable, unless it be when the poor actors are forced to suffer to the life, and be the very gods themselves. For we have seen an actor truly suffer castration in personating the god Atys of Pessinus; and another playing Hercules in real flames; and among the ludicrous barbarities which are exhibited at noonday, for the entertainment of those who are more greedy of them than dinner. I could not forbear smiling to see Mercury going about with a rod of iron red hot, probing the bodies to fetch out the souls, and Jove’s brother Pluto, in like manner, with his mallet in his hand to finish those that were not quite dead, and make them ready for the ferry-boat.

In the arena, the guards dressed like the evil spirits of the dead. Mercury or Pluto watched over the dying and removed the corpses from the arena. (Thompson 2002, 47) The cult of Nemesis in the Roman period was associated with the blood games and the imperial cult. (Tataki 2009, 641)

So, perhaps the double-edged sword of Jesus in reference to Pergamus is there to remind Christians that they were between two swords: one can kill only temporarily, but the other will bring an eternal separation from God.

There was only another amphitheatre in Asia Minor, apart from the one in Pergamum. It was in Cyzicus. But we know nothing about Christianity in the first century Cyzicus. So, if the amphitheatre was Satan’s house, there were not that many Christians living near the second Satan’s house in Asia Minor—in Cyzicus. And if there were, John probably did not have personal connections to the Christians living there.

As we saw earlier, Tertullian very much saw the amphitheatre and the prison that prepared for it as the devil’s house. It was the blood games that made the Roman Empire more horrendous than any earlier empire. And because of the thoroughly religious aspect of these gladiator games, they amounted to a horrendous human sacrifice. It was in the amphitheatre rather than in temples that the Romans sacrificed humans to their gods. And it was in the amphitheatres where many Christians would die in the next centuries.

For more on the Book of Revelation, you can read my book Understanding Revelation.

Sources

Friedrich, Nestor Paulo. ‘Adapt or Resist? A Socio-Political Reading of Revelation 2.18-29’. Journal for the Study of the New Testament 25, no. 2 (1 December 2002): 185–21.

Friesen, Steven J. ‘Satan’s Throne, Imperial Cults and the Social Settings of Revelation’. Journal for the Study of the New Testament 27, no. 3 (2005): 351–73.

Tataki, Argyro B. ‘Nemesis, Nemeseis, and the Gladiatorial Games at Smyrna’. Mnemosyne 62, no. 4 (2009): 639–48.

Tertullian, Apologeticus  (The Apology of Tertullian)

Thompson, Leonard L. ‘The Martyrdom of Polycarp: Death in the Roman Games’. The Journal of Religion 82, no. 1 (1 January 2002): 27–52.