8th January 2010 - The Final Opening Ceremony

Another passage from the daily bread:

Some words used to describe the opening ceremony of the 2008 summer Olympics were awesome, breathtaking, and extravagant. One commentator observed, “This shows what happens when you give an artist an unlimited budget.”

When I heard this, I thought, That’s what God did at creation! He held nothing back. The resulting universe is stunning in beauty, staggering in complexity, extravagant in all regards.

The Olympic ceremony was perfect in its precision; but if just one drummer or dancer had decided to alter the artist’s vision, the whole ceremony would have been flawed.

That’s what happened shortly after creation. Unlike the Olympic producer, God allowed free choice, and His work of art was marred by Adam and Eve’s idea of a better way. In Isaiah’s words, “We have turned, every one, to his own way” (53:6).

God’s solution to our waywardness was unimaginable: The Artist paid the price to recreate what we ruined. One day, there will be another opening ceremony, and everyone in heaven and on earth will bow at the name of Jesus (Phil. 2:10). And those from every nation who have accepted God’s plan in Christ will worship together in the flawless New Jerusalem (Rev. 15:4). — Julie Ackerman Link

Yes, God was so great in creation,
But greater, much greater in grace!
For when man had sinned and had grieved Him,
He sent Christ to die in his place! —Bennard

We have all eternity to praise God—begin today.

Relevant bible reading:

Revelation 15

Seven Angels with Seven Plagues

¹I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God's wrath is completed. ²And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and his image and over the number of his name. They held harps given them by God ³and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb:
"Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the ages.
⁴Who will not fear you, O Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed."

⁵After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened. ⁶Out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues. They were dressed in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. ⁷Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever. ⁸And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.

Reflections:

I quite like the illustration of God's creation using the opening ceremony of Olympics 2008, probably because I've seen it on TV and that I know how impressive the choreographies were. I didn't know God back then, but even if I did, I wonder whether I'd link it to how God held nothing back while creating everything in this world. As I read the passage, apart from all the nature beauties which are visible by our naked eyes, what came into my mind was that God had also perfectly created all the ways things will work, including all the biological systems, chemistry and physics on earth, which allow everything to fall in place neatly. (e.g. I am always amazed at how human bodies etc were designed, like how the coracoclavicular ligament develops in such a position that superior and anterior displacement of the humerus can be prevented lol) Well, my point is, God not only created the earth, the living beings on earth, (and even the non-living beings which form part of our lives), He also designed everything in such great details.

Using the same illustration, suppose I'm the artist who designed for a big thing like the Olympics opening ceremony, I would take all the precautions that I can to prevent things going wrong. If the people decide to ruin the performances, I would have been pissed off and probably give up after that. However, God didn't. He didn't chain us up, but He gave us free will, so that we can make decisions for our own lives, and it's all up to us whether we want to follow His plans and His ways. Even as times when we go astray and we regret when we look back, He still accepts our repentance and forgives us. This is how loving and faithful God is, and that is why He is not only called our Creator, but also our Father. =)

[I particularly like the first 2 lines of the poem "Yes, God was so great in creation, But greater, much greater in grace!"]

As for the bible reading related to the passage (Revelation 15), I would say I don't understand it fully. (Steph, correct me if I interpret anything incorrectly yea. I didn't read everything that I found online, cuz it was too much. I only tried to read parts of it only) I tried to do some further reading, finding out what does it mean by the seven last plagues, and here's what I got:

The "beast" refers to Catholicism, and the 7 plagues are supposed to fall on the Catholic church. These 7 plagues are called the LAST 7 plagues because they are the wrath of the final curses of God applied to the whole world at the end of time. God rejects and disqualifies the wicked through them.

From verse 5-7, God shows no mercy in pouring out His wrath this time. The probation ends. "The Bible says that no one can enter the temple while the seven plagues are poured out. (No one was able to intercede or intervene in behalf of those to whom the plague was directed until the seven angels had completed their mission. This suggests that at this point, before the first plague, the fate of all people are sealed because these is no intercessor for them in the sanctuary. This is why the bible declares that God will say at some point:

Let the one who does wrong still do wrong; and the one who is filthy still be filthy; and the one who is righteous still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy still keep himself holy. Behold I am coming quickly ... (Revelation 22: 11-12) "

While this happens, verse 5 (After this I looked and in heaven the temple, that is, the tabernacle of the Testimony, was opened.) tells us that heaven is called upon to give "testimony" to what is about to happen.

So, the 7 plagues (written in "location - event") are:

1. Earth - Earthquake splits earth [Death and disease on the altar of sacrifice]
2. Sea - Wicked dead for 1000 years [Uncleanliness at the laver]
3. River - Drink wine for fierce wrath [Famine at the table of shewbread]
4. Heat - Brightness of His coming [Sun exposure at the Menorah]
5. Darkness - No sun for 1000 years [Darkness at the Ark of the covenant (throne)]
6. Dry river - sky rolls up like a scroll [Death at the river from the throne]
7. Air - Hail of fire and brimstone [Fierce wrath: Destruction from the glory of God]

I read about the timing when these 7 plagues happen, but I don't quite understand. I guess the best way to put it is before the second coming. (I think I've heard of the second coming before, but I'm not sure what it is.) So, I'm not sure whether the 7 plagues happened in the past or are they yet to happen. (I guess they haven't happened yet. Steph, help me in this!)

*(Also Steph, if you could help me to "summarise" what is Rev 15 talking about, it would be good. I can't seem to get it ><>

yee kuan