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Preview of the Future Revealed 2600 Years Ago: How to Have Hope

Copyright 2008 Wilma Zalabak

Scriptures to Read: Dan 2; Rev 2-3

King Nebuchadnezzar wanted to know the future. He had conquered the world in record time, and of course he wanted his kingdom to last forever. But since no one else's kingdom had yet lasted forever, he worried. This is how I see the king of Babylon on that fateful morning in Dan 2.

The good news is that he had a God-worshiper among his wise men, so the God of heaven saw fit to give him a dream about the future. The bad news is that, for the interpretation of the dream, he tried his other gods before turning to the God of heaven. He called in the magic makers, the star students, the spirit communicators, and commanded them to tell him his dream, and then interpret it. They could not.

So the king ordered them all killed. But Daniel prayed, and God gave him the same dream he had given Nebuchadnezzar.

The good news is that Daniel then told the king his dream and its interpretation, saving all the wise men from death, and achieving for himself and his friends gifts and political power.

The bad news is that the king did not like the picture of the future that his dream provided, so he tried to rewrite it. That story remains for the next session in this seminar.

Daniel's Image

That dream showed Nebuchadnezzar a large man-like statue or image, different parts made of different metals. Each successive metal represented a new kingdom coming on the world scene: Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome, then divided Europe, remaining divided despite all efforts to unite. In the time of that divided kingdom, He saw the God of heaven setting up a kingdom which would replace all the others. So . . . Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom was not eternal, nor would he be the eternal king.

I notice two things. First, there is no place in this dream for Israel to rule the world before God sets up His kingdom. Second, there is only one part yet to be fulfilled of a prophecy given more than two thousand years before some of its fulfillment.

I see Daniel's fundamental proclamation as a trumpet-like theme in Dan 2:28 after he has reviewed the failure of the magic makers, the star students, and the spirit communicators to reveal the secret. He triumphantly declares, "But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and makes known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days!"

I want to know the future: Will this used car develop major problems soon? Will this real estate appreciate or depreciate? Will she fall in love with me? Will I ever find peace? Or justice? Or fulfillment? I believe I can know what I need to know about the future, and I believe that God is the source of that knowing, and that He has revealed that wisdom through His Word, the Bible.

I observe that both Daniel and Revelation deal with the future. Dan 2:29 and Rev 1:19 use the same words to introduce the content of the visions which follow. In Daniel, the dream of the great image follows this introduction about the hereafter. In Revelation, the letters to the seven churches follow this introduction. These letters to the seven churches will be my focus with you now.

I ask, how I can know what I need to know about the future? I will study with you Christ's letters to the churches in order to understand the process of that knowing. By heeding Christ's words to the churches, I can know what I need to know and have hope now for the future.

Revelation's Churches

Historians show me that the cities of the seven churches were actually important Christian centers around A.D. 100, when John wrote. Any Bible dictionary can explain the geographical and historical situation of each city. In this seminar I will concern myself only with the descriptive material right here in the Scripture. These were open letters, probably circulated together among the churches, and still circulating today among the churches.

I believe the best understanding of the messages to these seven churches focuses on the conditions that pertain first to the literal churches in John's day, and secondly to churches today where the principles can apply because the situation is similar.

Another interpretation that appears valid and has attracted attention throughout the centuries sees the seven churches as representing broad eras throughout church history. There seems to be a correlation here between these broad eras in the fortunes of the church from John's time until the end of the world and Daniel's broad scope of the fortunes of political kingdoms from his time until the end of the world.

Indeed, historians of the Christian church seem to have no trouble agreeing on major events and historical turns in church history, especially in centuries long past. There was one century for the Apostles up to John's death, two for the Martyrs under the Roman persecution, three for the Christian Empire under Constantine, nine for the Medieval Church starting with Pope Gregory the Great, and then came the Reformation with Martin Luther.

Recent history is harder to define, since passing time is the judge of the real turning points in history. The suggestions that Philadelphia represents a time of revivals and that Laodicea represents a time of materialism are more recent. They are subject to the review of passing time and future historians.

I find much more in these church letters and in church history than I could even scan in this session. I will return to this history at times throughout this seminar. For now, I will turn my attention to the content of the letters, and Jesus' call to see, hear, and tell. By heeding Christ's words to the churches, I can know what I need to know and have hope now for the future.

Jesus Says, "I Know"

"Seeing" seems to operate as a theme in Revelation, somewhat as "understanding" does in Daniel. Some form of the Greek word behind "see," "look," and "behold" appears at least one hundred times in Revelation. In Rev 2-3, it is translated "know," picturing something like the schoolteacher with eyes in the back of her head. After Christ's salutation, His statement to each church is, "I know your works."

To Laodicea, Jesus says, " I know your works," and then He says, "you know not that you are wretched . . . " Jesus knows something these Christians do not know and He enlightens them in order that they might reach out to Him.

He knows. He knows about the cigarettes someone hides. He knows about the grandfather who abandoned my mother and left shades of shame for generations. He knows about the alcohol which someone I love drinks and denies. He knows the lying, the incest, the doubt. He knows. Whatever skeleton I think is hidden so far back that no one will know, He knows. Whatever pain I think I have successfully smiled out of existence, He knows.

I see denial, this hiding of things too painful, as a helpful mechanism. In fact, it is a saving mechanism. Because of the provision made by Jesus Christ, denial kicked in as soon as Adam and Eve made that bad choice way back in the garden. Had they realized the full extent and results of their separation from God, I believe they would have died on the spot (Gen 2:17). Instead, grace mitigated the weight of knowing, but the next act of humans was to blame each other rather than facing squarely their own position. To continue in denial produces destructive behavior. Unless I realize how this mechanism works and open my mind to see what God sees, to know what He knows, I will continue on in denial and blaming, as well as a host of other hurtful tracks. But there is hope for Laodicea.

Christ's aim is to help me, little by little, to see my real identity in Him. That identity includes my poverty, my blindness, and my nakedness. It also includes His affirmation of my place as a chosen lamp in His temple, and of my name in His book. That identity includes His delight in my potential when He has clothed me, healed me, and made me rich. It includes His respectful eagerness to be guest in my heart and my home, my work place and my church.

My identity, what God knows and wants to show, lies firmly and forever in both the poverty and plenty, both the powerlessness and empowerment, both the hopelessness and the hope. If I do not know both of them excruciatingly, then I have not yet known what He wants to show.

Christ invites me to see by the use of my imagination. Humans do not need images to behold God, like Nebuchadnezzar ended up building in the next chapter of the story. I have a ready resource created by God within my brain by which to behold and become changed. I can do the seeing right inside my head. Just let me have caution to be sure it is Jesus Christ the Lord whom I invite into my life by this seeing in my mind's eye. There is a diabolic power who also wants to enter, but he is blocked when I sincerely ask for Jesus Christ instead.

Jesus is the One who knocks to bring seeing and hope. I can hope in Him. The Second Law of Recovery states, "Having come to hope in God, we need no mere images of hope."

I can know what I need to know and have hope now for the future if I will see God's picture of my reality. Open the door to Him and see!

Jesus Says, "I Counsel"

After the statement of reality in each of the letters to the churches, I see Christ presenting an exhortation, something He urges them to do in order to deal with their situation. That exhortation includes, in all seven letters, the invitation, "Whoever has an ear, let him or her hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Well, I have not just an ear; I have two ears, as many ears as eyes, and twice as many ears as tongue. But maybe I do not always use my ears twice as much as I use my tongue. So Christ invites me to hear.

I find this invitation in only one other place in Revelation, at its center, Rev 13:9. In a book full of visions and seeing words and vivid visual description, Christ invites me to hear. He wants me to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Where will I find what the Spirit says to the churches? In the Bible. How will I hear the Spirit's voice? By reading the Bible. How can I hear Christ's voice and know what I need to know? By facing the Scriptures on my knees.

Some of my friends believe the Bible is no more the voice of God than is the Koran or the teachings of Buddha or the words of Confucius. If you happen to be at that place, I will not storm your fortress; I will simply knock on your door with my story. I will not mount many arguments; I will simply invite you to open your mind to Jesus Christ, and to hear Him in your heart.

For me, the Bible foretells future two thousand years in advance.

For me, the Bible claims to be the Word of God handed down through Jesus Christ, through the angel, through the prophets, to the church, and the church is "me" (Rev 1:1). It came not by human decisions but by the moving of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:21).

For me, the Bible tells of a God who did what no other God has even claimed to do—became human and died for the human race.

For me, the Bible is the Word of God and He invites me to hear.

Now there are some things the Bible does not do. The Bible does not name the one whom I will marry. The Bible does not even organize its presentation into logical steps of salvation. The Bible even seems contradictory when I look to it for directives for my personal life.

I have come to understand that I am invited to hear a person, not only a set of guidelines; a living voice, not just an organized heritage; a relationship, not simply a good rationale or some nice promises. I love the God I hear in His Word, the Bible, and I love Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour.

In fact, when religion becomes only a set of guidelines, an organized heritage, or an analytical rationale, I believe it is in danger. Here let me return to the broad spectrum of history I discussed with you earlier. In the times illustrated by Ephesus and Smyrna, the church was unpopular and persecuted, but inside the hearts of its people, Christianity was vital and alive. During the times illustrated by Pergamos and Thyatira, the church became popular and then powerful, successful and then focused on maintaining its gains. But the state of spirituality in the heart took a turn for the worse. By the time of Sardis, this inner spirituality was alive only in reputation but really dead or dying, and by the time of Laodicea, the church was not even aware of its lack. Apparently, spirituality and popularity show a strong negative correlation; they do not go well together.

Walter Douglas, one of my church history professors is convinced that "the Medieval Church is perhaps the clearest example of an institution becoming victim of its own success." The church became "enamored with power, success, and imperial blessing, and lost sight of the Gospel. . . . The persecuted became the persecutor." In class, Douglas went on to preach to us, "The moment you feel you have power, you are in a dangerous position."

But there still can be seen a promise and hope for each of the churches, even those which, like Thyatira, are obsessed with maintaining power. Jesus says of the overcomer, "I will give to her or him the morning star. Whoever has an ear, let him or her hear."

I can know what I need to know and have hope now for the future if I will hear His exhortation. Open the door to Him and hear!

Jesus Says, "I Will Give to the Overcomer"

After realization, or the invitation to see, after exhortation, or the invitation to hear, I find Christ offering restoration to "whomever overcomes." The other place to look for a similar statement is in Rev 21:7 where Christ promises to the overcomer the inheritance of all things, a true and thorough restoration.

I discovered another overcomer passage in Revelation, again at its center. Rev 12:11 tells how that overcoming happens: "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."

"By the blood of the Lamb" means to me that I cannot do it myself and that there is no glory to me in this overcoming.

"Loved not their lives unto the death" means to me that I cannot ultimately preserve or destroy my life, and that all that responsibility is in His hands.

"By the word of their testimony" means to me that I have to tell. That is it; I have to tell. Telling is how restoration happens in my life. That is why I so desperately need community, and that is what church is meant to provide. I need a place where I can tell my story in Christ, where the fact of my journey can be affirmed and validated no matter where I am in that journey, without quick fixes or pat answers.

I remember that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the first evangelists, merely told their stories as to how they saw Jesus Christ. I so soon feel compelled to compel others and so I formulate my stories into prescriptions and sprinkle them generously with "ought" and "should" and "must." I forget that Christ stands outside the personal boundary and knocks, and waits, until someone from inside opens.

Jesus Christ invites me to tell—tell how naked I am, tell how blind I am, tell how poor I am.

Jesus Christ invites me to tell—tell the wonder of His acceptance despite my shame, tell the smallest increments of my healing, tell of living in that promised inheritance.

What Jesus Christ invites is a people in community committed to building a safe and affirming atmosphere for such telling, a place where everyone's story of sincere journey is heard, a place where the good and the bad may tell, a place where the just and the unjust may feel the sunshine and the rain of God's kind of love, a place where age, race, and gender, money, education, and handicap may all tell and be affirmed. Jesus Christ invites me to tell.

In the time illustrated by the church in Ephesus, that century for the apostles, I find that "they continued steadfastly [and daily (vs. 46)] in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42). They confessed their faults to one another, prayed for one another, and were healed, as their leader James admonished them to do (James 5:16).

This is why I ask you to bring your friends with you to study. This is why I remind you to tell someone else what you are learning. I can return to that first love by cultivating open and honest fellowship in spiritual matters, as did the apostles.

I can know what I need to know and have hope now for the future if I will tell what I see and hear. Open the door to Him and to others, and tell!

See God's picture of my reality. Hear His exhortation. Tell what I see and hear. By heeding Christ's words to the churches, I can know what I need to know and have hope now for the future.

He says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if you hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to you, and will eat with you, and you with me."

Nebuchadnezzar did not want to open the door to God's plans, and later he actually lost his sanity. Perhaps any human who refuses to open the door to Jesus Christ is actually playing with insanity.

But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, who wants to heal human insanity. I can hope in Him. The Second Law of Recovery states, "Having come to hope in God, we need no mere images of hope."

My Grandmother's Memory

Let me tell you about my grandmother. In 1957, my grandparents were the victims of a head-on collision with a drunk driver in Florida. My grandmother had a serious head injury. The doctors told my parents that if she did live, she would probably live as a vegetable; she would never wake up.

Instead, my grandmother did wake up, and one of her first decisions was that she would use any returning mental capacity to memorize Scripture. She had heard that the Bible could increase brain power.

By the time my grandparents had returned to my community to convalesce, Grandma had already begun her memory work. This was still in the era when Sunday School and Sabbath School asked students to memorize a memory verse each week. Grandma cut out each memory verse and pasted it on a flash card and worked diligently to memorize it.

Several years later when I began first grade, I stayed at Grandma's house after school until my mother came home. On those afternoons my Grandmother would pay me twenty-five cents an hour to drill her with her flash card memory verses. I was supposed to catch her up any way I could, even if she missed a little word or a piece of the reference. Well, guess who also learned those memory verses!

My grandmother went on to set up and operate her own upholstery shop for years and to help many people. She died this last spring, at the age of 93, still very bright and accurate of mind, always thinking of others and their interests and needs—thirty-seven years after the accident which was to have left her as a vegetable.

Because of my grandmother's example, I chose while very young to put the Bible first always. In school, I insisted on my time with the Word before my studies, and my studies thrived. I do believe there is something in the Word, something in that contact with the divine mind, that does enhance mental activity.

People often ask me, "How can I know what is right? Whose teachings are right? What philosophy is right? How can I know what is wrong and dangerous?"

I always answer that so long as I am in the Word every day in the surrendered stance, I will not be led astray by false teachings. That contact with the divine mind will make me perceptive. I may not know why or be able to verbalize my hesitation, but I will sense a caution before going too far in error. I have seen this principle proven. I bank on it. Will you decide with me to bank on the Word?

I have come to hope in God; I need no mere mirages of hope.

I can know what I need to know and have hope now for the future if I will see God's picture of my reality, hear His exhortation, and tell what I see and hear.

How to Have Hope: