parashat Yitro First Four Commandments
Click to Download Audio MP3 File.
Our tendency is to jump immediately from the Bible to the world around us and to apply Bible prophecy to events in our own day. This is why prophetic interpretation tends to change as the politics of this world change. This is why Adventist interpretation of prophecy has so often gotten it wrong.
However fascinated we may be with current events, I’d propose our best guide to prophetic interpretation is not the world around us. I’d propose that our best guide to prophetic interpretation is the Bible itself. For my remarks I want to look at this familiar passage from the perspective of the Bible itself. I want to look at the inner dynamics of the text; I want to look at the Bible from within.
John the Revelator crafts his book in such a way that the end of one scene often forms the introduction to the next. Revelation 12:17 is such a transition scene. Revelation 12:17 ends the story of war in heaven, which occupies all of chapter 12. At the same time, Revelation 12:17 also introduces the story of war on earth, which occupies the next two chapters.
“Then the Dragon was enraged at the Woman and went off to make war against the remnant of her offspring — those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Yeshua.”
Revelation chapter 13 will elaborate the Dragon’s attack against the remnant of the Woman’s offspring. Chapter 14 will elaborate the response of the Woman’s offspring to the Dragon’s attack. In these chapters the Beast is the agent in the Dragon’s war against “those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Yeshua.” After the description in chapter 13 of the terrible persecution inflicted by the Beast, Revelation 13:10 announces:
“This calls for patient endurance and faith on the part of the saints.”
After the warning in chapter 14 against the mark of the Beast, Revelation 14:12 announces:
“This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and Yeshua’s faithfulness.”
The commandments of God are the center of contention in chapters 13 and 14. The commandments of God are an issue between those “who hold to the testimony of Yeshua,” those who “obey Yeshua’s faithfulness,” and those who are deceived by the Dragon. The Dragon makes war against the remnant of the Woman’s offspring by attacking God’s commandments. The war strategy of the Dragon is to break the link between God’s people and God’s commandments. You’ll notice in Revelation chapters 13 and 14 that the commandments pertaining to God himself are particularly under attack.
The first commandment of the Decalogue says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” [Exodus 20:3] What does the Dragon do? The Dragon and the Beast receive worship. Revelation 13:4.
“Men worshiped the Dragon, for he had given his authority to the Beast, and they worshiped the Beast, saying, ‘who is like the Beast, and who can fight against him?’“
The second commandment of the Decalogue says, “You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness.” [Exodus 20:3] What does the Beast do? The Beast commissions an image. Revelation 13:14.
“He deceives those who dwell on earth, bidding them to make an image to the Beast.”
The third commandment of the Decalogue says, “You shall not take the name of HaShem your God in vain.” [Exodus 20:7] What does the Beast do? The Beast blasphemes God’s name. Revelation 13:5, 6.
“And the Beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and he was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two month. He opened his mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is those who dwell in heaven.”
The fourth commandment of the Decalogue says, “Remember the day of Shabbat to sanctify it.” [Exodus 20:8] Where in the Revelation chapters 13 and 14 does the Dragon attack the fourth commandment?
About thirty years ago a number of Seventh-day Adventist brothers and sisters asserted Shabbat wouldn’t be an end-time issue. They pointed out that the word “Sabbath” isn’t found even once in the Book of Revelation. Thousands of Seventh-day Adventists ceased to be Shabbat-observant. Were they on to something?
Before we delve into the intricacies of Revelation chapters 13 and 14, let’s first look at the obvious. What’s the main topic of these two chapters? One of the best ways of discovering what is really important to a person is to notice what they talk about the most. That’s part of being a good listener. This method also works for the Bible. As we read these chapters attentively, the word that keeps popping up is “worship.”
Look with me at Revelation 13:4.
“Men worshipped the Dragon because he had given authority to the Beast, and the also worshipped the Beast.”
Look at Revelation 13:8.
“All the inhabitants of the earth will worship the Beast, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain.”
Look at Revelation 13:11, 12.
“Then I saw another beast which rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast.”
Look at Revelation 13:15.
“And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the Beast so that the image of the Beast should even speak, and to cause those who would not worship the image of the Beast to be slain,”
Look at Revelation 14:9, 10.
“If anyone worships the Beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he shall also drink of the wine of God’s wrath.”
Look at Revelation 14:11.
“And they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the Beast and its image.”
Seven times Revelation chapters 13 and 14 speak about false worship! The sheer repetition indicates that worship is the main topic of this passage. The issue in the conflict between the Dragon and the remnant of the Woman’s offspring is worship. Worship is a life-and-death issue.
That much is obvious even from a casual reading. Now for the less obvious. While Revelation chapters 13 and 14 mention false worship seven times, only once do these chapters mention true worship. This comes in chapter 14 verse 6.
“And worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea, and the fountains of water.”
When the Book of Revelation finally gets around to the subject of true worship, it refers to the fourth commandment of the Decalogue. How do we know that Revelation 14:6 refers to the fourth commandment? The text, after all, never mentions the word “Sabbath.”
It is a matter of verbal allusion. There are only two places in the entire Bible where we have these four words together in the same sequence: “made” “heaven” “earth” “the sea.” The one place is right here. Revelation 14:6.
“And worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea, and the fountains of water.”
The other place is Exodus 20:11.
“For in six days HaShem made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; and rested the seventh day.”
Same four words; same sequence. Too close to be coincidence. The wording of Revelation 14:6 definitely recalls the fourth commandment.
We need to remember that the original readers of the Book of Revelation were people living in a largely oral society. When they assembled for public worship they read long portions of Scripture aloud so that even the illiterate could learn. Today listening to the parasha and the haftara being read out is the most boring part of synagogue. This is because today everybody has their own printed copy and can read at their own convenience. Back in antiquity, listening to the parasha and the haftara perked everybody’s interest. This was their opportunity to learn the Bible. By attentive listening Jews learned Scripture by heart. This is why the Torah scroll is lifted after reading the parasha. Any ordinary Jew could rattle off the Torah by heart. Synagogue listeners wanted to make sure what they’d just heard was real reading, not recitation. When synagogue listeners heard Revelation 14:6 they would have immediately picked up the reference to the fourth commandment of the Decalogue.
In addition to the verbal allusion, there’s another common aspect between Revelation 14:6 and the fourth commandment. In antiquity legal documents were stamped with a seal to attest their authenticity. In international treaty documents which archaeologists discovered among the royal Hittite archives, there is a most interesting term for the seal impression, which attests the authenticity of the treaty document. The seal impression is referred to as “that which is in the middle of the tablet.”
The tablets of the Decalogoge are the stipulations of the covenant which God made with Israel at Sinai. The tablets of the Decalogue are the stipulations of an international treaty, if you will, which the King of heaven made with Israel.
If you examine the text of the Decalogue, what’s in the middle of the tablet? It is the fourth commandment which is in the middle of the ten.
But does the fourth commandment contain the impression of a seal? Ancient royal seals usually contain the king’s name and the king’s domain. Does the Decalogue anywhere contain the king’s name and domain?
“For in six days HaShem made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them.”
His name is HaShem; his domain is his creation.
While several of the other nine commandments of the Decalogue mention HaShem’s name, none of them specify HaShem’s domain. The fourth commandment is the seal of God’s covenant both because of its position “in the middle of the tablet” and because of its contents.
But how do we learn that the fourth commandment of the Decalogue is under attack by the Dragon? In Revelation chapter 13, which describes the Dragon’s war against the remnant of the Woman’s offspring, only the attack on the first three commandments is explicitly mentioned.
We learn the fourth commandment is under attack by taking God’s response into consideration. Revelation chapter 13 describes the Dragon’s “war against the remnant of the Woman’s offspring — those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Yeshua.” Revelation chapter 14 describes God’s response to the Dragon’s attack. If God’s response to the Dragon’s attack calls attention to the fourth commandment, we can be sure that the fourth too is under attack right along with the first three.
Allow me to summarize what I’ve shown up to now. A careful reading indicates that in Revelation chapter 13 and 14 all the commandments of the Decalogue pertaining to God are under attack, including the fourth. Why do you suppose that the Dragon’s assault is directed particularly against the first four commandments of the Decalogue?
Because these are the commandments pertaining to worship! The Dragon covets the worship that properly belongs only to the Creator.
According to the Book of Revelation, not only do God’s commandments have his seal, but God’s people also have his seal. Revelation 7:2-4.
“Then I saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads.’ And I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel.”
In a Jewish context being sealed on the forehead recalls the injunction of the Torah to bind its precepts on the forehead and the arm that they may be the focus of continual attention. Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
“Hear O Israel, HaShem our God, HaShem is one. And you shall love HaShem your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart. And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.”
In the time of John the Revelator Jewish men would write this passage in Deuteronomy plus the Decalogue, fold the parchment up, stuff it in little leather boxes, and wind the boxes on their foreheads and arms with straps! These little boxes are called tfilim or phylacteries. The original readers of the Book of Revelation would be very familiar with this ancient Jewish practice. They would understand that to have God’s seal on the forehead means to accept God’s commandments and to allow him to write them on the heart.
The seal on the forehead of God’s servants and the seal impression in the middle of God’s covenant is the same seal. The seal of God is the fourth commandment of the Decalogue.
The Dragon counterfeits the seal of God. Revelation 13:16. This verse describes the activity of the Beast which looks like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon. Revelation 13:16.
“Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both slave and free, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that none can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is the name of the Beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number. Its number is six hundred and sixty-six.”
There are always Christian rumors making the rounds about the mark of the Beast. Rumor says, “The European Economic Community has a big computer with everybody’s financial records. When they go online this will be the mark of the Beast!” Rumor says, “They’re going to issue everybody with smartcards and take cash out of circulation. This will be the mark of the Beast!” Rumor says, “They’re going to mark everybody with barcode so they can scan you like groceries at the checkout counter. This will be the mark of the Beast!” Rumor says, “They’re going to mark everybody’s hand with an invisible dye like the stuff that keeps you from voting twice. This will be the mark of the Beast!”
I think friends, that rumor grossly underestimates the Dragon. Remember Scripture says, “The Serpent was wiser than all the other beasts of the field.”
Let me reiterate what I said earlier: our best guide to prophetic interpretation is not the world around us; our best guide to prophetic interpretation is the Bible itself. The mark of the Beast needs to be understood as the counterfeit of the seal of God. Both are received on the forehead or the hand. The mark of the Beast is not some technological innovation, any more than the seal of the living God is a little box for strapping on the commandments. Technology will not suddenly make anyone a victim of the Beast anymore than a leather box will magically make anyone a commandment-keeper. The mark of the Beast and the seal of God are visible signs, but they are not hi-tech tattoos emblazoned on the body. The mark of the Beast and the seal of God are behaviors, behaviors reflecting a spiritual orientation. The mark of the Beast and the seal of God are outward signs of a decision, a decision either for the Beast or a decision for the living God.
A person who receives God’s seal is a person who has responded to God’s love poured out in Jesus and lives with regard for his commandments.
A person who receives the mark of the Beast is a person, who either by deception or intimidation, has chosen to ignore God’s love and to live in violation of God’s commandments. The mark of the Beast and the seal of God are visible signs of loyalty.
Up to now we’ve looked at what the Bible says about the seal of God, but I would like to look at the seal of God for a moment from a psychological perspective. Why do you think that the commandments which delineate our duty towards our Creator are an ideal sign of loyalty? What if the seal of God was one of those commandments which delineate our duty toward one another? What if, for example, the seal of God were the commandment which forbids stealing? Would that be a good sign that the one who obeys it is truly committed to God?
Of course not. Many people obey the commandment which forbids stealing simply because they want to stay out of jail! Many people obey the commandments of the Decalogue which delineate our duty toward one another, because it is in their own self-interest to do so.
Obedience to the first four commandments is a different matter. Human reason does not instruct us to worship no other God besides him, or to avoid representing him by an image, or not to use his name for our own manipulative purposes, or to keep his day of Shabbat holy. The first four commandments cannot be scientifically proven. The first four commandments cannot be derived from the natural order of the universe. The first four commandments cannot be derived from the order of human society. The first four commandments are arbitrary. The only reason we obey them is because our God has commanded us to do so. We accept his commandments on his authority.
You see, it is he who created us and knows what is best for us. It is he who loved us while we were yet sinners and gave himself for us. It is he who has committed himself to be our God and to take us to himself to be his people. We keep his commandments because he is our God.
Revelation 12:17 characterizes the people against whom the Dragon makes war as “those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Yeshua.”
God’s commandments, which his people obey in the face of opposition, are particularly the first four commandments. After the warning against the mark of the Beast, Revelation 14:12 announces:
“This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and Yeshua’s faithfulness.”
Immediately after that announcement there follows a description of the coming of the Son of Man. Revelation 14:13, 14.
“Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.’ Then I looked, and lo, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like the Son of Man with a golden wreath on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.”
Let me summarize. Scripture prophesies that when the Son of Man comes on the cloud he will find a remnant of the Woman’s offspring who both obey God’s commandments and Jesus’ faithfulness. This remnant of the Woman’s offspring will bear the impress of the fourth commandment of the Decalogue, the seal of God.
I invite you to be a part of that remnant people who remain faithful to Jesus until he comes. Cling to Jesus! Cling to God’s commandments! Nothing will protect you like inclusion in God’s promise. Worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water! No one else in the universe deserves your devotion.
Certainly not the Dragon, the Beast, or the image of the Beast. Don’t let them steal the worship that is rightfully his alone.
