And another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast or his image, and receives a mark upon his forehead or upon his hand, he will be tormented with fire and sulfur before the holy angels and before the Lamb. The smoke of their torment rises up for ever and ever and no one has any rest, day or night, if they worship the beast or his image or receive the mark of his name. Rev. 14:9-11.
Many images of violence fill the book of Revelation. We find violence against Jesus (Rev. 1:5, 7; 5:6; 12:11); violence against His followers (Rev. 2:10, 13; 16:6; 17:16; 18:7, 20, 24). But what bothers some people the most is the divine violence in the book, of which Revelation 14:9-11 is the most graphic. How can the Lamb be, on the one hand, the victim of violence and on the other hand the one who torments and destroys?
What people often overlook is that any truly good government must at some point exercise some kind of violence in order to restrain evil. Governmental force is not always graphic and bloody, of course. It may simply involve the kind of restraint that occurs when a policeman pulls you over at a speed trap or the IRS sends an agent to audit your taxes. You don't consider that violence? Well, let me ask you some questions. How fast would you drive if the police did not exist? How much taxes would you pay if they were voluntary? How eager are most convicts to stay in jail? Good governments provide a necessary restraint so we can all live together in peace. Not every citizen stops to consider what is good for others or for the whole when they act.
Most people are used to this level of governmental violence. When dealing with an Adolf Hitler or a Saddam Hussein, however, just violence becomes necessarily more brutal. Oppression demands justice (Rev. 6:9-11; 16:6; 18:7, 8), but evil never gives way voluntarily. And the greater the power and brutality of evil, the more force to undo that evil.
The images of Revelation are not pretty, but they assure us that God will do whatever it takes to end violence and oppression. The fact that destructive power of God occurs in the presence of the Lamb does not mean He enjoys such horrific images. To me it means that God has placed the One who has suffered much in charge of the process. While God's use of force is necessary, the Lamb oversees and limits it. Why the Lamb? Only He fully understands the cost of suffering and can be trusted to be merciful in the exercise of divine justice. The Lamb that was slain will undo evil without overkill. Divine justice will cause suffering, but not one iota more than necessary.
Lord, the mysteries of Your wisdom in the governing of this universe are beyond my understanding. Help me to trust completely in the Lamb that was slain.
Many images of violence fill the book of Revelation. We find violence against Jesus (Rev. 1:5, 7; 5:6; 12:11); violence against His followers (Rev. 2:10, 13; 16:6; 17:16; 18:7, 20, 24). But what bothers some people the most is the divine violence in the book, of which Revelation 14:9-11 is the most graphic. How can the Lamb be, on the one hand, the victim of violence and on the other hand the one who torments and destroys?
What people often overlook is that any truly good government must at some point exercise some kind of violence in order to restrain evil. Governmental force is not always graphic and bloody, of course. It may simply involve the kind of restraint that occurs when a policeman pulls you over at a speed trap or the IRS sends an agent to audit your taxes. You don't consider that violence? Well, let me ask you some questions. How fast would you drive if the police did not exist? How much taxes would you pay if they were voluntary? How eager are most convicts to stay in jail? Good governments provide a necessary restraint so we can all live together in peace. Not every citizen stops to consider what is good for others or for the whole when they act.
Most people are used to this level of governmental violence. When dealing with an Adolf Hitler or a Saddam Hussein, however, just violence becomes necessarily more brutal. Oppression demands justice (Rev. 6:9-11; 16:6; 18:7, 8), but evil never gives way voluntarily. And the greater the power and brutality of evil, the more force to undo that evil.
The images of Revelation are not pretty, but they assure us that God will do whatever it takes to end violence and oppression. The fact that destructive power of God occurs in the presence of the Lamb does not mean He enjoys such horrific images. To me it means that God has placed the One who has suffered much in charge of the process. While God's use of force is necessary, the Lamb oversees and limits it. Why the Lamb? Only He fully understands the cost of suffering and can be trusted to be merciful in the exercise of divine justice. The Lamb that was slain will undo evil without overkill. Divine justice will cause suffering, but not one iota more than necessary.
Lord, the mysteries of Your wisdom in the governing of this universe are beyond my understanding. Help me to trust completely in the Lamb that was slain.
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