Revelation 6, Six Seals on the Scroll

The scroll of history has been revealed in heaven and the Lamb has stepped forward to unseal it.

Revelation 6: 1-2, The lamb opens the first seal

I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!"  I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. 

The white horse and its rider are bent on conquest.  (Military conquest, one nation over another?) Does this character affect history or merely prepare to affect history?

Revelation 6: 3-4, The second seal

When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!"  Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword. 

The rider of the red horse destroys peace.  So presumably these first two riders bring war.

Revelation 6: 5-6, The third seal

When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand.  Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!" 

The Greek word "choinix" (probably about a liter)  is translated here as "quart" and the Greek word "denarius", representing a Greek coin that was roughly one day's wage for the common man, is translated as "a days wage" by the NIV.

This third rider, on the black horse, apparently brings economic chaos?

Revelation 6: 7-8, The fourth seal

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!"  I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. 

The fourth rider is on a pale horse and this time it is clear that this rider brings death and destruction, killing a quarter of the population.

These are the "four horsemen of the Apocalypse."  What is their role in history?  Are they literal creatures?  Or symbols?

Why are there four, and not seven?  Does four have any meaning here, after the extensive use of the number seven?

Revelation 6: 9-11, The fifth seal

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.  They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?"  

Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. 

A theme of the book of Revelation is that the people of God are waiting for some type of culmination of history. This requires patience but that completion will occur, says this book.

Revelation 6: 12-16, The sixth seal

I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind.  The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.  

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.  They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!  For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

What occurs with the breaking of the sixth seal?  Is this a historical event (in past or future time)?

Why does the chapter end here?  What is left to do?  The seventh seal is about to be broken and the scroll unrolled.  But before that happens, there will be a brief interlude.

Revelation 5, The Scroll of History

John, in a vision, has entered heaven where he sees the throne of God and 24 elders gathered around the throne. The One on the throne has a scroll....

Revelation 5: 1-4, The sealed scroll of history

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals.  And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?"  

But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it.  I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 

The scroll is sealed so no one can look inside it. This seems to be important, for John weeps when no one can even glance inside. And yet there is one -- only one -- who has the right to look into the scroll.

Revelation 5: 5-10, One Who can open the scroll

Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."  

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.  He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 

And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.  And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." 

Only the Lamb who was slain can open the scroll. This Lamb of God, dead once and now alive, has all mankind in his debt.

The scroll is sealed up like a will would have been.  Why is this significant?  (See Hebrews 9:15 ff.)

Revelation 5: 11-14, The angels and every creature join in

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.  In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" 

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"  

The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.

The four living creatures and the elders are not listed with the angels.  So who are they?

This scroll is important.  We will spend the next two chapters learning what happens as the seven locks ("seals") are removed.

Revelation 4, A Door in Heaven... and the Throne

The main vision of John begins here.  After initial messages from Jesus to seven churches, a door opens in Heaven....

Revelation 4: 1-6a, The door in heaven and the throne

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 

At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.  And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.  

Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.  From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.  Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. 

What does "after this" mean?  Does it mean immediately after John's time?  Or at the end of the church age?  

The throne is described in dramatic terms.  (Why jasper, carnelian?  I can't picture a rainbow like an emerald.)  The sea is large, without a horizon; a sea of glass is presumably a large smooth clear surface?

Revelation 4: 6b-11, The four creatures around the throne

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.  The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.  Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." 

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:  

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

Who are the four creatures??  What do they represent?  What do they do?

Who are the twenty four elders?  (If there were just twelve, we might think of the tribes of Israel.)

Every time the twenty four elders appear, they seem connected with worship. Their "te deum" comes from Psalm 66:2.

Revelation 3, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea

Jesus has messages for seven churches. (Note: throughout this book, the term translated "angels" is ambiguous, merely meaning "messenger".  And the phrase "the seven spirits" could be translated "the sevenfold Spirit". Translations, here from Greek to English, always require some type of interpretation.)

Revelation 3: 1-6, The message to Sardis

"To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.  Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.  Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. 

But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 

Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.  He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 

This church has all the appearances of being on fire but instead is mere glowing embers.  But there is hope -- they are to fan the flames, to revive and strengthen the remaining commitments.

To what does the paragraph on "come like a thief" allude? Jesus spoke in parables about returning "like a thief" (see Matthew 24: 42-44) but is that what is really meant here?

Revelation 3: 7-13, The message to Philadelphia

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.  

I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.  I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars--I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.  Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.  

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.  Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. 

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 

This church (in the Greek city of Philadelphia in Asia Minor) is weak but persistent and for that it is commended.

To what does the open door refer?  (Walvoord claims that the sentence "I will also keep you from the hour of trial…" is "pre-trib".  I find that a bit of a stretch.)

"New name" is reminiscent of the promise to Pergamum.  

Revelation 3: 14-22, The message to Laodicea

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.  I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  You say, `I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.  

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.  To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.  

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

This contented and wealthy church has lost its priorities. It receives condemnation for its apathy and an invitation to return to its original passion for Jesus.

There are a number of phrases repeated again and again in these messages to the churches and they provide a theme for this section and for the book.

How do we interpret these seven churches and Jesus's message to them?  Historically, there has been a number of approaches to this -- the letters could be interpreted literally, as true statements to seven specific churches in Asia Minor at the time of John. But given the dramatic imagery of this book, with layer on layer of prophetic allusions, it is easy to suggest that these seven churches represent more. Some have attempted to put church history into a time line with seven periods. (Those who do so always put themselves at the end, in the church of Laodicea.)  I think a more reasonable alternative is to interpret these churches as representatives of the Church in different places and times.  (This interpretation can be combined with the first -- maybe, at the end of the first century, those seven specific churches were representative.

I'll say more on interpreting Revelation later. But first we must read it.  It was meant to be read; it is much more important that we read Revelation than that we attempt to interpret it!

Revelation 2, Instructions to Four Ancient Churches

Jesus, identified as the Alpha and Omega of Time, has some words for seven different churches. Here are his messages to the first four.

Revelation 2: 1-7, The message to Ephesus

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.  You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.  But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.  

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. 

This vision is immersed in the number seven, presumably a sign of completion and perfection.

The church in Ephesus, where John apparently ministered for some time, has many good qualities, including its patience pursuit of truth. (This fits John's letters and their emphasis on acting in both truth and love.)  Yet it has some weaknesses, turning away from its first love and enthusiasm for the gospel.  I give this church a B– grade?

We don't really know who the Nicolaitans were.  There are some ideas here at Wikipedia and here at BibleHub.com but these are conjectures.

This passage continues to emphasize completion/perfection by focusing on the final "tree of life", to be described at the end of the letter.

The Greek word translated "angel" here, and throughout the book, simply means "messenger."

(Given the supernatural aspects of this vision, it probably means a divine being, but that is not necessarily implied by the Greek word.)

Revelation 2: 8-11, The message to Smyrna

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.  I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.  Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.  

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. 

The "First and the Last" is, of course, Jesus, earlier identified as the Alpha and Omega.

What do the ten days signify?  (They are very specific.)

No criticism is given to this church, only encouragement. I give this church an A.

Revelation 2: 12-17, The message to Pergamum

"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.  I know where you live--where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city--where Satan lives.  

Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.  Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.  Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.  

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. 

The Nicolaitans show up again here along with the "teaching of Balaam". I don't know who Antipas was, but tradition has a Bishop Antipas of Pergamum, appointed by John to this church. I don't know if he was a real historical figure or if that tradition begins with this letter.

Who gets the white stone?  What does it mean? What does the manna signify?

Apparently the error of Balaam is compromise, eg. marrying nonbelievers. (Commentator Merrill Tenney says it is "moral laxity".)

The "two-edged sword" occurs 6 or 7 times in Revelation.

This church receives some criticism, but mainly encouragement. I give this church a B.

Revelation 2: 18-29, The message to Thyatira

"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.  I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 

Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.  I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.  So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.  I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.  

Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): 

Only hold on to what you have until I come.  To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations--  `He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery' -- just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. 

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

A certain individual, here called Jezebel, needs to be confronted. Jezebel was a notorious figure in Old Testament times (queen of Israel and wife of King Ahab, see I Kings 16...) and we apparently have a similar individual or a similar force or idea.

The quote in verse 27 ("He will rule them with an iron scepter") is from Psalm 2:9.

This church gets more serious criticism. I give this church a B–.

In three of the four churches we have some type of false teaching that is to be confronted: the teachings of the Nicolaitans, of Balaam, or of the woman Jezebel. Each church is told to persevere; each church is told of approaching suffering and persecution and is reminded that their suffering is only temporary.  This is the theme of the book.

Revelation 1, Alpha and the Omega

This is the last book in the New Testament and most likely John's last letter.  

It is a fascinating book.  It is majestic, with a cosmological view of the role of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah.  It deserves regular reading within the churches; it deserves much more exposure than it gets!

Revelation 1: 1-3, Introduction

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw--that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. 

The revelation is from God through Jesus to John ... to the church.

What is "near"?  Why is this revelation given, if Jesus was not going to return for at least 2000 years? (The Greek word translated "soon" may also be translated "quickly", "rapidly", as in quickly – once it starts.  But there are certainly places where "soon" seems to not have this meaning.)

Why are the readers to be blessed? (So why don't we read this book more?)

Revelation 1: 4-8, Greeting

John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. 

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father--to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. 

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. 

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." 

God is described as "is, was, is to come" -- current, past and future (in that order.) This is consistent with God's statement to Moses, that His name is "I Am."

In the Greek alphabet, alpha was the first letter and omega the last, so "Alpha and Omega" represents the beginning and the end -- and everything in between.  Jesus is the beginning and the end of the Cosmos, of Time, of all things.

John, looking forward into Time, says that Jesus will come again, visible to all humankind.

NIV footnotes: In verse 4 "seven spirits" could be translated "the sevenfold Spirit "

Revelation 1: 9-11, The setting for John's vision

I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 

On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea." 

John ministered at Ephesus, a port city on the Aegean Sea, on the coast of Asia Minor (now Turkey.) The seven churches in this list are scattered throughout Asia Minor, probably visited early on by Paul and other missionaries.  The island of Patmos is a small island in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Asia Minor, about 70 miles from Ephesus by air.

Notes:  Walvoord translates "Lord's Day" as "day of the Lord" – not a day of the week. Some put significance in the ordering "suffering, kingdom, patient endurance". The concepts of "suffering, kingdom, patient endurance" will be stressed in this book.

Revelation 1: 12-16, The speaker

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.  His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.  His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.  In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. 

What did the speaker look like?  Why would he look like this? What do gold, wool, snow, fire, bronze, waters signify (if any)?

Compare with Daniel 7:9-13. (The quote "like a son of man" is from the end of that passage.)

Revelation 1: 17-20, The holder of the keys

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.  I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.  

"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.  The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

In verse 20, the Greek word translated "angels" is literally "messengers".  This term is used throughout the book and may not always mean a divine immortal being.

In the opening passage, the one that says he is the first and the last is identified as "the Lord God." Here the same claim is made by Jesus.  All of John's writings, from his gospel to his letters to this book, all unapologetically identify Jesus as God.

Who holds the keys to hell and death?  What does this mean? 

Why the use of the number seven?  (There are, in this chapter, seven churches/lampstands/angels. We will continue to see seven as a symbol throughout the book.)

Do churches have angels?  Does yours?  (What is a "church" here?)

Conflict with the World, Part 2, Practice (When I was President of Citizens for Decency)

In John 17:14-16, Jesus prays that his disciples not be "of the world" since he is not. Jesus then goes on to say that The World will hate the disciples of Jesus. In John's first epistle (I John 2:15-17), he tells the followers of Jesus to "not love the world."

How do Christ-followers put this into practice?

In my experience there are two different approaches. In the first approach, one attempts to control the world and culture, turning it into a "Christian" culture that reflect Christian values.  In the second approach, one attempts to live as a "stranger", a citizen of heaven in a nonChristian system, recognizing that the cultural and political system will always be opposed to God, and not expecting otherwise. In this second system, we minister individually, being part of the "yeast" within the bread of society.

The Old Testament, with its emphasis on the kingdom of Israel, is an attempt at the first method. As the Old Testament itself makes clear, the process of creating a nation controlled by God, was a complete failure.

In the New Testament, the emphasis is very different.  In the New Testament, the followers of the Messiah, led by the promised Holy Spirit, "turn the world upside down."  But the political system was unchanged and, as the apostle John makes clear, the World is still very opposed to the Messiah.

Anyone who attempts to force their culture and country to become "Christian" has misread the New Testament.  There is no Biblical concept of a "Christian country".

I know quite a lot about this -- I have paid my dues here. Let me tell you what not to do!

When I was President of Citizens for Decency

Long ago, in the 1980s, I got involved in the "moral majority." I bought into the belief (promoted by one particular political party) that one could wage a culture war for Christianity.  I became active in the local chapter of Citizens for Decency (CFD), eventually becoming president. With this organization, I fought a "war" against pornography in my community. (Among other things, I successfully waged a campaign to have softporn magazines removed from the campus bookstore. Here is a link to a campus newspaper article about the group I led.  Unmentioned in the article is the threat by a university VP that if he had his way, I would be fired from the university.)

CFD accomplished a lot. We met with, and received support from the local DA. Most local stores which had originally sold soft porn magazines and/or rented hard porn videos eventually took these items from their shelves. At the high point of our work, we printed, once a month, 4000 bulletin inserts and delivered these inserts to local churches which then distributed them to their congregants. These inserts described research on the dangers of pornography.  It also rated local stores on their products, outing those stores that still sold pornography and praising stores that no longer did.

We accomplished a lot politically. But we did a lot of damage to the cause of Christ.  I regret my identification in this group as "Christian".

I don't want to downplay the cultural impact and dangers of pornography. But to accomplish what we did, we bullied local store owners.  Mom-and-pop stores that sold Playboy magazine or had a backshelf of x-rated video rentals were threatened by our "Christian" demands. They could support our "Christian" values or not -- but their livelihood depended on their response.

As our group became more powerful, the calls for compliance became more strident.  The problems of the "culture war" became clearer.  Some in our group wanted to ban R-rated rentals from the community. Many churches supported our boycott attitude, but few church attenders rewarded stores that announced themselves a "family friendly."  Other Christians were happy to see us attack "those bad guys", but few went out of their way to reward stores that caved in to our commands.

One local couple ran a small video store about half-a-mile from my house.  They endorsed our political activism and they removed the adult movies from their collection. We then promoted their video store regularly in our monthly bulletin inserts. I dropped by several times a month to chat and to rent videos for my children.  As I chatted with these "good guys", I watched their rental sales quickly drop off. (College students weren't visiting them anymore).  They tried to put a good face on their new "family values" but after a year, they closed.

I don't regret the political activism.  I regret that it was identified as Christian.  Regardless of the official stance of our organization, the community heard, "If you are Christian, you don't own or visit these stores".  That easily translated into, "If you own or visit these stores, you cannot be (or become) a Christian."

We identified Eternity with local business decisions!

Jesus died for these store owners.  He did not die so that they could have shelves clean of porn. By identifying our actions as "Christian" we made pornography a priority over the gospel.

As our group became more powerful and as some members made more strident boycott demands, I began to feel uncomfortable with my work. I eventually stepped down as president.  After a little time, the group collapsed.  Once I had backed away a bit from my leadership in this group, I was able to see its work more objectively and I could observe more closely its many failures among its successes.

Years later, one Sunday morning, my pastor arrived at church with three dozen donuts just purchased from a local donut shop.

"We should not be buying donuts from [that shop]," said one of our lay leaders. "We should boycott them."

This man went on to explain.  "That chain of donut shops is owned by Waldenbooks. Waldenbooks sells pornography.  We should send a message that we are opposed to pornography by boycotting any store owned by Waldenbooks." (See this related news article about the Waldenbooks boycott.)

I quickly objected. Every week our pastor visited this local store, chatted with the owner and clerks, and purchased several dozen donuts.  Our church was identified as supporting this small business. We were appreciated by the owner. This appreciation was a (small) result of our love for others in our community. Let us not ruin the gospel by becoming a "Christian bully"!

Our practice should follow our theology. As the New Testament confronts the world system, it does so by changing hearts, by changing souls. Politics is incapable of doing that.

Tomorrow we begin studying the Book of Revelation, the final book in the Bible.  It will have a lot to say about Christians and the world system!