What voice do you listen to?
A hundred years ago on November 11th, 1918, World War I ended. This last weekend world leaders gathered in Paris to commemorate and honor those who died. This war took a staggering 9 million military lives and millions more civilians. It was meant to be “the war to end all wars.” History tells a very different story. Just 21 years later, another World War broke out in September of 1939 and lasted for six years. It took an additional 50 to 80 million military and civilian lives. This is absolutely mind-blowing. As I reflect on this, I feel awkward and numb, not able to emote and wrap my mind around this mass of humanity that died a horrible death. I am aware of how easy it is to lose sight of every person’s story, people with names who fought and loved ones who yearned for them to come home. I am wondering where is this all going to end?
Many Christians embrace a system of dispensational eschatology wherein Scripture prophesies a series of global wars before Christ can return. I take the position, however, that Armageddon is not presented in Scripture as an inevitable final war at all. I come to this position through the writings of Brian Zahnd and the study of brilliant New Testament scholars like Richard Bauckham and N.T. Wright. I am frustrated that many Christians believe that millions of people dying in war is unavoidable and has to happen in order to bring to pass the second coming of Christ.
Growing up, Armageddon represented to me a future of doom and gloom where two-thirds of the world’s population dies in a final war that really would end all wars. Given all the modern hype about an Armageddon, it is interesting that “Armageddon” appears only once in the Bible. You can find it in Revelation 16:16. John envisions demonic spirits gathering the armies of the world to a place called Armageddon. (Literally, it means the Mount of Megiddo). When you read up on the history of the site, (today called Tel Megiddo), you realize that Megiddo was in the middle of a valley which became a raging battlefield and was destroyed and rebuilt twenty-six times. Zahnd and Wright believe that John is using the valley of Megiddo as a symbol or icon for endless war, not the end of war.
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13 Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.
15 “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
16 Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
Before we get to the reference to Armageddon in verse 16, John reveals in verse 13 the phenomenon of three evil spirits like frogs coming out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. It appears from verse 14 that these demonic frogs have such power that they are able to influence world leaders to come and gather at Armageddon. As Zahnd reveals, these three frogs coming out of the mouths of this unholy trinity are the demons of accusation, empire, and propaganda. What I have come to understand is that the voices of accusation, empire, and propaganda unchecked will always bring society to the valley of war. N. T. Wright says: “Anyone who has lived through the build-up to a war, where suddenly all the newspapers and television stations seem to be pushing one way, and the frog-like, hopping-to-and-fro thing called ‘public opinion’ happens to go along with the prevailing mood, will know what John is talking about, and why he issues this warning.”[1]It takes me back to my world history class where I learned about Goebbels who became the propaganda minister for Hitler.
John is saying to us that the words coming out of our mouths matter. When we participate in accusation and propaganda, Armageddon is always a possibility. They leave the door open for endless war. However, John is telling us that it does not have to be this way. If instead, we follow the Lamb who speaks peace, hope, and restoration, we can avoid Armageddon. It comes down to either listening to the voice of Christ or we listen to the frogs. If you follow the frogs, they will always get you to another Armageddon. If however, you follow the Lamb you end up at the New Jerusalem. Jesus truly is the Prince of Peace!
What this means for me as a follower of Christ is not to allow the power of the demon frogs to overtake my mind and mouth. The croaking frogs are our media, politics, and churches tirelessly participating in racism and sexism; thereby creating an us versus them. And yet, Jesus came to turn this tired cycle of retribution and revenge around by calling us to pray for our enemy and to love our neighbor. Jesus has made a way for us so that we don’t have to have another war. It comes down to which voices we allow to control our lives and world.
Against this backdrop, Christ calls on us to be vigilant…to stay awake… John on the Island of Patmos, exiled by the Roman Empire, warns us in verse 15 not to get pulled into the systems of the Unholy trinity.
Some of the questions we can discuss at Pub Theology this coming Thursday is:
- Do you think we can war our way to peace?
- What roads do you believe will bring us to a place of peace?
- How has your voice joined the choir of croaking frogs?
- How can the church change her posture of pointing fingers to open arms?
[1]Wright, N. T. Revelation for Everyone (The New Testament for Everyone) (p. 147). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.