PSALM 86

In my earlier post titled “Psalms: Introduction to the Literary Structure,” I demonstrated that the central psalm of the arrangement of five central psalms found in the five books of Psalms is Ps. 86. This psalm is also found at the exact center of the 171 psalms in the Psalter (counting Ps. 119 as 22 separate psalms). At first glance this poem seems to be a very poor choice to be given such a position of honor. It has been dismissed as “something of a mosaic of quotations and reminiscences of other psalms.” (M'Caw and Motyer) A. A. Anderson says of Psalm 86, “The author of this Psalm draws heavily upon the liturgical language of his times, and this accounts for most of the parallels with other Psalms and elsewhere.” Childs cites this psalm as a prime example of those that “are actually only compilations of other psalms” in which “almost every line has picked up a phrase from another portion of scripture and fashioned it into a poem.” In fact, there are at least fifty quotations from other psalms in this short poem of 17 verses. By contrast, Tanner defends the psalm by noting, “Later scholars do not consider originality as the only mark of a good Hebrew poem.”

Psalm 86 thus incorporates features drawn from the entire Psalter to form an anthology of psalms or, in other words, the model psalm It also embodies the book of Psalms in two other significant ways. In the first place, many individual psalms begin in lament and end in praise. This same movement has been detected in the Psalter as a whole with Lament Psalms predominating in the first half of the book and Praise Psalms in the last. (P.D. Miller) Appropriately, Psalm 86 is usually characterized as a “mixed type” which (almost uniquely) begins and ends with petitions while having a center of thanksgiving and praise.

Secondly, this key psalm has been analyzed into the following subsections: vv. 1-4, 5-7, 8-10, 11-13, and 14-17. These five units can be arranged thematically as a chiasm in perfect analogy with the Five Books of the Psalter:

A. “Have mercy on me” (vv. 1-4)

B. Confidence in God’s help (vv. 5-7)

C. God’s greatness (vv. 8-10)

B'. Confidence in God’s help (vv. 11-13)

A'. “Have mercy on me” (vv. 14-17)

Packed into the central Section C is a wealth of theology in which the Psalmist “comprehends His creative power and ultimate purpose, His essential goodness and continuous activity, His sovereignty over all and His accessibility to man,” as McCaw and Motyer put it. Viewed structurally, Section C can in itself be viewed as a five-membered chiasm:

1. “Among the gods there is none like you” (v. 8a)

2. “No deeds can compare with yours” (v. 8b)

3. Center (v. 9)

2'. “You do marvelous deeds” (v. 10a)

1'. “You alone are God” (v. 10b)

If the above analysis is accurate (and it does differ somewhat from that of Dorsey, who sees Section C as a seven-part chiasm centered at verse 11, and from Tanner, who places the center section at verses 8-13), then the central verse to the whole Psalter can be identified as 86:9, which universalizes the call for all humanity to worship God: “All the nations thou hast made shall come and bow down before thee, O Lord, and shall glorify thy name.” Thus, this center verse of the center section of the center psalm of the center book in the Psalter can be seen to emphasize that our proper response to God's revelation is to bow down in obedience to His commands and praise His name. Parenthetically, Klouda highlights the neighboring Ps. 87 as almost unique in departing from the usual exclusionary view of the Psalmists and envisioning an eschatological turning of the nations to God. The same observation can be easily made for Ps. 86:9.

WHO WAS HABAKKUK?

 

                          Habakkuk (2004, mixed media)

His Character

“Habakkuk is exceptional for the intellectual honesty and moral and spiritual integrity with which he faces up to profound issues. He grapples with these in a way which can only be described as courageous....Whoever eavesdrops on this agonized interchange with God must feel, at length, that he 'knows' Habakkuk. And yet in other respects the prophet remains an almost complete stranger.” (Nute)

“His thought, however, is laid bare by the searching questions he asks.” (Hicks)

Bullock notes that “Habakkuk's confidence and faith, perhaps implied in 2:4, is clearly affirmed in 2:1 and 3:16. He will wait and trust.”

Baker first cites the apocryphal addition to Daniel called “Bel and the Dragon” as attesting to the respect this prophet had in later years. He adds that “his character as a sincere believer in Yahweh and his covenant, as well as his courage, shine brightly through his prophecy.”

And Southwell cites passages in the NT and the Dead Sea scrolls to demonstrate “that his historical and theological insights were valued within the Jewish community and beyond long after his day.”

His Background, Abilities, and Profession

Chisholm notes from Hab. 1:13 that “Habakkuk clearly knew his theological creed: the Lord is the just ruler and protector of his people, and cannot tolerate evil and injustice.”

Some variant manuscripts of “Bel and the Dragon” identify him as being of the tribe of Levi. Nute feels that despite the unreliability of this account,”nevertheless he could well have been a Levite. The musical terms which annotate his psalm (ch. 3) would suggest this. Certainly he was a poet of no mean order and possessed considerable literary skill. Some see Habakkuk as a member of a group or guild of Temple ministers (Eaton), and this seems the more likely if it can be shown that the book bears signs of being a liturgical composition. Chapter 1 certainly has this characteristic...”

The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery goes even further by stating that “Habakkuk's use of these poems is a stroke of literary genius.”

Scholars such as Hicks are a little more skeptical and assume that chapter 3 “was probably added later, possibly from the circles of cultic prophecy.” More conservative voices such as Baker's stress the unity of the whole book.

Bullock says, “ In modern scholarship Habakkuk has often been associated with the Temple. That notion is based largely on the literary nature of chapter 3, which is called a psalm, and which provides liturgical notes (3:1,3,9a,13). That is not impossible, but the book as a whole does not seem to have had a liturgical usage.”

His Exact Identification

Here we are faced with the unfortunate absence of information. Payne notes, “The introduction to the book of Habakkuk (1:1) provides no information about the life and times of its author, except for stating that he was a prophet.” Hicks remarks that “nothing is known about the life of the Old Testament prophet, not even his father's name.”

Thus, Roberson says, “Various conjectures and myths have arisen to fill out the picture of the life of this servant of the Lord. But neither the Scriptures nor outside sources provide any solid information concerning the life of Habakkuk...Habakkuk appeared as a 'voice' and nothing more. He must be heard because he was the bearer of God's message, not because of what he was in himself.”

J.B. Taylor is one of many who suggest that his name may be derived from an Assyrian plant called hambakuku. Alternatively, “His name..is said to derive from a Heb. root signifying 'to clasp, or embrace.'...It is doubtless this meaning that gave rise to the conjecture which identifies Habakkuk with the son of the Shunammite woman (2 Kg. 4:16). Both this and the further suggestion which links him with Isaiah's watchman (Isa. 21:6; see Hab. 2:1) may be discounted. (Nute)

Bruckner deduces the following from the second possible origin of the prophet's name given above: “The Hebrew root (habaq) means 'to embrace,' especially as a means of keeping warm when there is no other shelter (e.g. Job 24:8; Lam 4:5). God's revelation of Judah's coming devastation was embraced by Habakkuk in faith (Hab 3:17). The embrace of God's dialogue with him became a shelter for Israel, when it appeared that every other means of shelter would be removed.”

His Time Period

Dating the times of the prophets is notoriously hard to pin down, especially if there are no particular historical events mentioned in their writings. And even if they are, skeptics often attribute those verses to later writers. In the case of Habakkuk:

Nute says that “the only certain key is to be found in the reference to the Babylonians (1:6); and even so, some have argued that this should read Kittim (Cypriot Greeks) rather than Kasidim (Babylonians...). This emendation would have the effect of placing the prophecy in the days of Alexander the Great (late 4^th cent. B.C.).” But even without that emendation, there is still the difficulty of determining whether Habakkuk was looking to future events or relating those happening at the time. Nute feels that the former is the case, leading to a proposed date in the early 600's B.C.

Chisholm starts with Habakkuk 1:5-6 in which the prophet surprises his audience by predicting that Babylon will reach a position of prominence. That happened in 605 B.C. But in other verses such as 1:6-11,15-17; 2:5-17, Babylon has already achieved that distinction some time earlier. And in Habakkuk 3:16-19, he deals with an imminent invasion of Judah by the Babylonian army. That could refer to either the event related in II Kings 24:10-17 (dated to 597 B.C.) or the later destruction of Jerusalem in 588-586.

R.L. Smith reviews some of the opinions regarding the date of the writing based on the references to “the wicked” in 1:4 and 1:13b. Several commentators attempt to identify this group as a hostile force outside of Israel in order to pin the date down. But as most would conclude, this group of enemies probably represented enemies of God within the Jewish people, not outside forces. Finally, Smith notes, “The majority of OT scholars would probably date a large portion of the book of Habakkuk in the period between 612 and 587 B.C. Although some editing was probably done later.”

Childs adds that Hab. 2:17 “implies a long history of pillage under which Judah suffered.” His conclusion is: “Generally a literary unity of the book has been defended, particularly among scholars such as Sellin and Humbert, who derived this unity from a cultic function of the book. Their approach went beyond simply recognizing liturgical material within the book such as in ch. 3, but portrayed Habakkuk as a cultic prophet whose role within a ritual accounted for the particular fusion of elements of complaint, response, vision, and theophany.” Childs and others attribute this present unity to the presence of a later redactor who shaped the book.

Chisholm deduces that “the best way to resolve the problem is to understand the book as a collection of messages from different periods in the prophet's career.” But Childs doubts this scenario because “solid literary evidence for seeing a process at work is lacking.”

 

666: THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST (REVELATION 13:18)

use is varied.” These uses include the conventional, rhetorical, symbolic and mysterious or hidden. (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery)

“Numbers play a prominent and varied role in the Bible. They appear throughout both Testaments, even though no part of the Bible has a purely scientific or mathematical purpose...Numbers are not only prevalent in the Bible, but their use is varied.” These uses include the conventional, rhetorical, symbolic and mysterious or hidden. (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery)

The more scientifically and mathematically oriented our society becomes, the more it becomes necessary to remind ourselves that numbers appearing in the Bible are often not meant to be understood literally, but on a figurative or symbolic level instead. After all, the ancient Hebrew culture was probably one of the least interested in mathematics of any on earth.

With that in mind, let us approach the rather cryptic verse Revelation 13:18, which reads as follows:

“This calls for wisdom. Whoever is intelligent can figure out the meaning of the number of the beast, because the number stands for a man's name. Its number is 666.” (TEV)

Unlike the TEV above, a literal rendering of the Greek words in English yields: “Here wisdom is. The one having reason let him count the number of the beast; for the number of a man it is. And the number of it is six hundred and sixty-six.”

First, a few comments regarding the translation of the opening words of this verse are in order. Scholars note the following:

Beasley-Murray represents most commentators when he points out that sophia ('wisdom') is a special endowment of the Spirit, and that the word also appears in 17:9.

Patzia: “Sophia...is the secret knowledge of believers by which they can interpret some of the symbols and apocalyptic mysteries in John's vision (Rev 13:18; 17:9). This appears to follow the pattern of earlier apocalyptic literature, in which wisdom is an eschatological gift to the faithful and righteous.”

Ruiz comments on Revelation 17:9, alluded to above: “'This calls for a mind that has wisdom', like the formula in 13:18, this expression introduces the interpretation of the symbolism of the previous verses.”

Beale concludes that “John is not calling for intellectual, mathematical prowess in his exhortation that his readers 'have a mind to calculate,' but for moral discernment to avoid evil.” Whether or not you agree with this assessment, it becomes obvious that John is not referring primarily to the IQ needed by a reader in order to understand his words. And since three of the above scholars draw a specific parallel between 13:18 and 17:9, a glance at that latter verse is in order before proceeding any further. NRSV renders it as: “This calls for a mind that has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; also, they are seven kings.”

It is hard to know how closely we should equate these two passages except to note that 17:9 is in the context of an earthly ruler, perhaps of the Roman Empire due to the probable allusion to the “Seven Hills” of Rome. At this point, we are no doubt on safe ground in stating that there is a good chance that 13:18 is also cryptically referring to an earthly ruler, possibly of Rome or a kingdom resembling Rome in some manner.

The next phrase in Revelation 13:18 which is a little uncertain in meaning is the statement that the number is “the number of a man.” Ford notes that 'the number of a human being' in this verse “may mean a number which is intelligible from a human point of view, that is, does not require supernatural wisdom to understand it (but cf. 21:17), or it may mean 'of a certain individual.'” Almost all translators and commentators take it in that latter sense.

The next logical question one might ask is, “Why didn't John just state in clear words what he meant?”

First consider the situation of the original audience. It is obvious that John is addressing Christians of 

his day who were experiencing persecution from the Roman authorities, as John himself was, writing 

from exile. Therefore, if many of the visions he was told to share involved advice to the church as to 

how to prepare for further persecution from Rome, it would be dangerous for him and his audience if 

these writings should fall into unfriendly hands. So he employed a sort of code that they could 

understand, but non-Christians couldn't. This may also help explain the extensive use of Old Testament 

allusions in Revelation.

Mounce opts for this explanation and applies it to one sort of code described below: “Gematria was 

widely used in apocalyptic because of its symbolic and enigmatic quality. It served as a precaution 

against the charge of sedition.”

On the other hand, Grant Osborne writes in his book The Hermeneutical Spiral, “I personally believe 

that one reason for the use of cryptic symbols was to keep the reader from giving the future fulfillment 

too great a place in the message of the book. The writer wanted to turn the reader toward God, not just 

toward future events.”

Agreeing with Osborne, Beale says, “It is unlikely that John is cryptically identifying an emperor to 

avoid persecution in case his work falls into the hands of Roman officials. He is already in exile and 

not afraid of further suffering. Neither is he trying to protect his readers from persecution, since he is 

preparing them to be faithful witnesses, even to the point of death.”

Below are just some of the many attempts to make sense of the number 666 in 13:18.

Symbolic Numbers

There are two strong reasons to take this tack in one's interpretation. First is the well known fact that apocalyptic alnguage, such as employed throughout Revelation, is known to present its ideas primarily in the form of symbols, rather than figures of speech (as with poetry) or literal statements (as in the historical books of the Bible). And this symbolism extends to numbers as well as words. That is why Revelation is filled with numbers such as 3 ½, 6, 7, 12, 14, 24, 1000, and 144,000. Any good Bible dictionary or commentary will point out the most commonly accepted symbolic meaning assigned to each of these. The number we are most interested in here is 6.

Since man was created on the sixth day and he is a little lower than the angels, it is appropriate for this number to represent imperfection – something short of the perfect number 7. And when such a created being attempts to raise himself to the status of the three-fold God as a form of rebellion, all he achieves is 666, a trinity of imperfection.

Ellul: “It seems to me that it is not at all the number of the human, the imperfect, as is often said, but 

the number of that which accumulated imperfections, and which by that way attempts finally to reach 

seven, by multiplying sixes, that is, attempts to reach perfection; in other words have itself taken for 

God. But precisely the one who imitates God thus discloses his own imperfection.”

Morris also opts for the symbolic interpretation and explains its significance in the following words: 

“John will then be saying that unregenerate man is persistently evil. He bears the mark of the beast in 

all that he does.”

Gematria

The Jews as well as the Romans had developed the concept of gematria in which letters in their 

alphabet were equivalent to particular numbers. Thus, the letters of any word could be added up to 

reach its identifying number. Conversely, any number could be broken down into possible 

combinations of letters that would add up to it. Ford explains that this Hebrew method was also known 

as isopsephia in Greek. “It is a cryptogram and special insight is necessary to decipher it.” The 

possibilities for 666 based on this hidden code method are quite numerous and fall into several 

categories, as shown below.

Names of Individuals

Ford reviews a number of mythic or legendary identities proposed as the solution over the years. These 

include: Lampetis, daughter of the Sun God; Teitan, or Titan, the pagan god of vengeance; and 

Palaibaskanos, a legendary sorcerer.

Bruston, in a rather novel suggestion, bases his numerical interpretation on the founder of the 

Babylonian Empire, Nimrod, whose name means “rebellious” (Genesis 10:8). According to this 

interpretation, it explains why Babylon is featured so prominently in the book of Revelation.

Even more common, are those historical personages over the centuries who have been identified as the 

Beast on the basis of the numerical values of the letters in their names. These include the Jewish 

historian Josephus, Luther [based on Loutherana or Saxoneios (Saxon)], Muhammad (Maometis), 

Nabonaparti (Napoleon), Hitler, and Henry Kissinger.

Additional possibilities are endless. But the most likely are those individuals active during the time of 

writing of Revelation since the name of the beast apparently had to be coded to protect the author and 

recipients of the document. Nero is the best bet since Revelation 13:3 says that the beast had been 

healed of a mortal wound. There was the belief in the Roman Empire that Nero either didn't really die 

by suicide or had died but would come back again in a resurrected form.

Thus, Beasley-Murray states that “in recent years a large measure of agreement has arisen that the 

name John had in mind is Nero Caesar in Hebrew. If one asks how Greek-speaking congregations 

could have known that, the answer is that it almost certainly arose among Hebrew- and Aramaic-

speaking Jews.” Another piece of evidence is that use of the Latin form “Nero” in place of “Neron” 

adds up to 616, which is the alternative reading found in some ancient NT manuscripts in place of 666.

But not everyone agrees that Nero as the intended person. Morris points to the problems involved in 

deriving his name from 666. For one thing, it involves using the Greek form of a Latin name and then 

transliterating it into Hebrew letters.. Secondly, one must use a variant spelling which omits the letter y. 

And lastly, if this was such an obvious solution, it is interesting that no one thought of it even though 

other parts of Revelation seem to point to Nero.

Bruce: “Another attractive suggestion is that John had in mind a type of coin circulating in the 

province of Asia, on which the abbreviated style of Domitian in Greek ('Emperor Caesar Domitian 

Augustus Germanicus') yields the total 666. But complete certainty is unattainable.” In rebuttal, Davids 

states that “while we know of the abbreviations of Domitians's title, they do not appear together 

anywhere, which weakens the...theory.”

As you have probably noted, a major problem with these methods is that they often have to resort to 

picking and choosing which language to use in their calculations, whether they use a full name or only 

an abbreviation, and whether the person's title should be substituted for the name or perhaps added to 

it. And beyond that major drawback, Beale points out: “There is no evidence of any other number in 

the book being used in such a way. All the numbers have figurative significance and symbolize some 

spiritual reality and never involve any kind of literal gematria calculations.”

Groups

Early Protestant sources identified 666 as standing for the Catholic Church, based on “Italika Ekklesia 

(Italian Church), He Letana Basileia (the Latin Kingdom), or Papeiskos ('pope'). However, the early 

Christian writer Irenaeus felt it might have stood for lateinos (the Roman government). Even the letters 

of Ku Klux Klan can be seen to add up to 666 according to this method.

Yet another attempt to utilize gematria adds up the initial letters of all the Roman emperors during a 

certain period of time. However, you need to omit one of the emperors in the middle of the list in order 

to arrive at 666. (Beasley-Murray)

Schmitz and other scholars point to the phrase 'the number of a man' as proof that “This excludes all 

attempts to decode the number which do not relate to a human figure.”

Descriptors

Then there are those early commentators who felt that 666 stood, not for the Beast's exact name, but 

for his description, expressed in terms of gematria. These include different Greek or Hebrew words 

which can be translated as Blue Bastard, Wicked Guide, Double-Dealer, Opponent, Beast, Damned, 

and Antichrist – each of which can be made to add up to 666.

Gunkel believes the number identifies the Roman Empire with the OT monster typifying the chaos 

which God overcame and from which the portrait of the dragon and the beast in this book is derived. 

His evidence is that the letters for 'Primal Chaos' in Hebrew add up to 666.

Ellul concludes from all of this that “it is known that the deciphering of this number, in particular by 

the gematrical method, has given innumerable and fantastic results...”

Combination of Approaches

Van Daalen: “This number...is not, as is sometimes thought, a conundrum to be solved by readers in 

order to discover the identity of the beast described in that chapter. The identity of the beast is clear: it 

is the absolute state as personified in the Roman Emperor Nero. The emperors claimed divine authority 

and their power seemed invincible. John wanted his readers to understand that the state and its rulers 

were neither divine nor invincible. They were human and carried the seed of their own destruction; 

their number is only 666, and does not reach the completion of seven. The number was arrived at by 

presenting Nero's name Kaisar Neron in Hebrew letters, which also function as numbers...so qrs nrwn 

adds up to 666. (Some western manuscripts read ' six hundred sixteen'; the scribes possibly did not 

understand John's usage of Hebrew numbers, and thought in terms of the Greek kaisar theos, the 'god-

emperor,' which would add up to 616 using the Greek letters as numerals; but it is more likely that they

simply dropped the final n: qsr nrw for Kaisar Nero, making 616).” That last possibility is perhaps 

confirmed by an early Aramaic document which refers to Nero as Kaisar Nero.

Note that Van Daalen actually combines the interpretive methods of symbology and gematria in his 

approach to identify both an individual and the group which he typifies.

There is another approach which combines these two. “Christian readers would have noticed the 

contrast between the number of the beast, 666, and the number of Jesus, 888 (the sum of the Greek 

letters Jesous). In 888 could be seen superabundant perfection, the three-fold 7+1. On the other hand 

666 indicates the three-fold failure to reach perfection, 7-1. This showed how precarious and how 

doomed to failure the reign of the beast must be.” (Ford)

Beasley-Murray also elaborates: 'It is pointed out that the Sibylline Oracles (1:328) remarks that the 

number of the name of Jesus is 888, one better than perfection.”

Other Numerical Methods

One approach is to look for an individual with a first, middle, and last name, each of which contains six 

letters – thus 666. Political and religious conservatives would probably be horrified to know that 

Ronald Wilson Reagan has been identified by some as the Beast using that method. And if we wished 

to play the same tricks used by some gematria experts, we just have to include Hitler's title to come up 

with Fuhrer Adolph Hitler, another 666. That is my personal entry into this identification game.

The Pythagorean method, the study of triangular numbers, has also been proposed. Beale notes that “a 

number of commentators discuss the significance of triangular numbers in the ancient world (e.g., 10 is 

the triangular of 4, since 4+3+2+1=10). The number 666 is a triangular of a triangular: 36 is the 

triangular of 8 and 666 is the triangular of 36 and therefore integrally related to 8. Some believe, 

therefore, that 666 is another way of speaking of the beast who is identified as 'an eighth'` in 17:11.”

Others using this same Pythagorean language arrive at 8 but reason instead that, employing gematria,

 the number 8 stands for the Hebrew letter H. And since that verse in Revelation also mentions the 

word “wisdom,” which in Hebrew is hokmah, it is felt that this methodology points to “wisdom” as the 

meaning of 666. How the beast could stand for wisdom is beyond me to comprehend.

“Literal” Understandings

These approaches abandon any mathematical calculations altogether and simply look for any place 

where they happen to see the three numbers 6-6-6 together in one place. You don't have to search very 

far to find these since there are popular books written on the subject; and the internet is filled with 

fanciful examples, some are obviously tongue-in-cheek, but most are deadly serious. Two of the most 

popular understandings of 666 arose in the last half of the 20^th century. The first one dates from the 

1970's and is still around: It involves the inauguration of the NCR computer with 6-core memory, 60 

bytes/word and 6 bits/character, advertised as 6.60.6. With this powerful computer, (we are told) evil 

forces in the government can track the activities of everyone in America, especially coupled with the 

government-mandated Social Security numbers for all newborns beginning in 1989. This interpretative 

approach has been updated periodically to refer to other computer hardware or software.

Another popular interpretation beginning in the 1980's involves the fact that all bar codes have three 

numbers hidden in them: 666. In reality, they are not the numbers 666 or any numbers at all but simply 

guard bars to separate the manufacturing code from the product code. However, they happen to 

resemble the number six. We are told by some prophecy “experts” that we will soon have a bar code 

tattooed on our body or in the form of a computer chip implanted in us, and we won't be able to buy or 

sell without it.

A 60^th anniversary UN picture has also appeared on the internet with flags in front blocking the view of 

the zeros, thus leading to 666. Therefore the UN is the beast of Revelation according to some.

Note that all these “literal” approaches seem to ignore the clear statement given in the text that it is the 

number of an individual, not a technology or organization.

Conclusion

Mounce: “In view of the widely divergent and highly speculative solutions to the riddle it seems best to 

conclude that John intended only his intimate associates to be able to decipher the number. So 

successful were his precautions that even Irenaeus some one hundred years later was unable to identify 

the person intended. An additional 1800 years of conjecture have not brought us any closer to an 

answer.”

Of course, futurists simply reply that Revelation was not primarily written for the people of John's time 

at all or even for anyone in the last 2,000 years, but only for the enlightenment of those such as 

themselves who happen to live during the last days. They will be the only ones to fully comprehend it.

 

SUPERNATURAL TRANSPORTATION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

                                               Hitchhiker (2012, collage)

Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:9-15; Luke 4:1-13 – In two of the three temptations of Jesus in the wilderness, Satan takes him to another place: a high mountain and the pinnacle of the temple. The question is: Was Jesus actually transported supernaturally by Satan to those places, were they journeys undertaken by land together, or were these visions? The first option seems a possibility since Satan was an angel; the long trips by land seem unlikely in view of Jesus' physical condition at the time; and the problem with the last option is that if it didn't happen in earthly reality, how could the test to throw himself off the building make any sense.

Hendricksen responds in the following way in his commentary on Mathew: “How is it to be understood that in the second temptation, the devil takes Jesus along to the holy city and sets him on the pinnacle of the temple, and now, in the third temptation, Satan takes him along to a very high mountain? Some insist that this must all be taken literally...Just how we are to conceive of this is not explained...This is not at all a question of believing Scripture or not believing it. It is simply a question of how best to interpret what we fully accept...If it was in a vision that the Lord was urged to do these things, we may be sure that what occurred in the vision was as real to his mind as if there had been no vision at all, and everything had taken place with strict literality.”

Luke 16:19-31 – Here we have the story Jesus told regarding the rich man and Lazarus and what happened after they die. As you will recall, Lazarus was taken up into heaven by angels – a prime example of supernatural transportation if there ever was one. But did this actually happen? Regarding the escort Lazarus received, Ellis says that “like the rest of the story, this reflects the current beliefs of many Jews.” And Geldenhuys adds, “Although Luke does not expressly state that this is a parable, and although the Savior has given the beggar a name, it is by no means necessary to assume that we have here the story of something that really happened and not a parable.” Most commentators, liberal or conservative, would agree with this assessment. Billy Graham was one notable exception, as you can read in his book Angels.

Acts 8:26-40 – At the end of this encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, we read that the Spirit of the Lord snatched up the evangelist and took him away. There seems to be no better way to take this story than at its literal face value. It is of note that the longer Western Text of Acts expands on this part of the account in the following way: “The Spirit of the Lord fell upon the eunuch and the angel of the Lord snatched Philip away.” Bruce mentions two possible reasons for this altered text: (1) to make it clear that the eunuch had received the Spirit and (2) to bring back the mention of 'angel' which was found at the beginning of the story.

Tiedtke's comment on v. 39 is, “This should be taken spatially and really.”

I Corinthians 12:1-12 – Then there is this obscure reference that Paul makes to someone who was taken up into the third heaven, most probably talking about his own experience. Ralph Martin's view on verse 1 is as follows: “We may note that there is not a great difference between optasia, 'vision,' and apokalypsis, 'revelation.'” And regarding v. 2, “He simply is not sure whether he went to the 'third heaven' in body or in spirit...Because he refrains from giving an opinion one way or the other his opponents cannot totally reject his boasting. By not eliminating the possibility that Paul could have remained in the body, he avoids undercutting the validity of his other visions.” If he did go in the body, we are given no hint as to how that was actually accomplished.

I Thessalonians 4:17 – This is the famous passage describing the 'rapture' of the church into the clouds at Christ's future. The discussions regarding this controversial verse center almost exclusively around the question of whether this describes the Second Coming immediately preceding the Last Judgment or a 'secret' coming preceding the seven years of earthly tribulation for those left behind. What is generally overlooked is the mode of transportation in either case.

Cousins feels that 'caught up in the clouds' is “not as a vehicle but as a sign of glory and divine majesty.”

But Wanamaker disagrees and says that “in such texts as Is. 19:1 and the vision of Ezk. 1:4-28 a cloud becomes the celestial vehicle of God. It was probably owing to this influence that the writer of Dn. 7:13f. employed clouds to transport the 'one like a son of man' into the presence of God...The description of the Son of Man coming to earth at the end of the age on the clouds in Mk. 13:26 9 (par. Mt. 24:30) was based on Dn. 7:13. But the Danielic vision has been interpreted so that 'one like a son of man' becomes 'the Son of Man,' and whereas the clouds originally took the figure to God, the movement is reversed in that they now bring him to earth.”

As to I Thessalonians, harpazein ['caught up'] in the Septuagint version of Gen. 5:24 and II Corinthians 12:2,4 implies “that the ascent is brought about by a force outside the individual.” (Wanamaker) And Malherbe points out that Paul does not “provide any details about how they will be snatched up except that it will be 'in the clouds.'”

Elias notes that the Greek verb harpazo, meaning to seize or snatch away, “normally describes a sudden forceful intervention...an abrupt transfer, either physical or spiritual.”

In commenting on this obscure verse, Morris says, “There are many things that our curiosity would like to know, but the Bible is not there to satisfy our curiosity. Rather, it is to help our Christian lives, and for that the important thing is that we should be ready whenever the Lord comes.”

Revelation 6:1-8 – Harkening back to the heavenly horses in Zechariah's vision, we now come to the conclusion of that series in which God's judgment on the earth is actually carried out by the four angelic horsemen. Ruiz provides one common interpretation of the symbolism behind each of these riders and their actions: The white horse symbolizes a conquering power that none can resist...The red horse symbolizes war and bloodshed...The black horse symbolizes famine, which follows upon war...The pale green horse symbolizes pestilence and devastation.”

Revelation 12:13-14 – As with much of Revelation, there are myriads of opinion on how to interpret it. For the sake of simplicity, I will first quote Beale's comments as an example of one reading of this escape of the woman from harm. “The woman in Revelation 12 should not be identified primarily with Mary because the chapter never explicitly identifies the woman, whereas there is a clear secondary identification of the dragon as 'the ancient serpent...the devil and Satan,' and because the mariological identification did not arise until about the sixth century...That the woman represents the old and new covenant community is apparent from the remainder of the chapter, where the 'seed' is not only Christ but also the community of his followers (so vv 6,11-17)...the image of the woman flying with the two wings of a great eagle...into the wilderness...reflects the picture of God as an eagle protecting Israel in the wilderness, probably alluding to three specific OT passages together.” These are Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 1:31-33 and Deuteronomy 32:10-12.

Mounce points out that “Exodus typology is woven throughout this entire episode...The two wings of the great eagle which made possible her escape echo the words of God from Sinai, 'I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself' (Ex 19:4)...It is important to note that the antagonism directed against the church has its origin in the hatred of Satan for Christ.”

 

SUPERNATURAL TRANSPORTATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

People in the Bible are constantly going from place to place, generally by the usual means of transport, although often they are sometimes quite obviously led by God in their journeying, with the prime example being the wanderings of the Israelites in the wilderness after they leave Egypt. But in addition, there are times when supernatural means are also used to get them there. The following are some of those times.

One could, of course, cite the number of times it is said that someone is taken up on eagle's wings (e.g. Isaiah 40:31; Exodus 19:4; Proverbs 23:5; Lamentations 3:33; Deuteronomy 32:11-12; Isaiah 63:9; Revelation 12:14). Or there is the similar phraseology of “the wings of a dove” in passages such as Psalm 55:4-8; 68:13. But these are obviously figurative ways of expressing God's superintending of human affairs, especially involving His people.

“The imagery of wings in the Bible is primarily figurative; in fact, references to the literal wings of birds are striking for their scarcity...The ability of birds to soar above earthly danger makes them an apt symbol of escape.” (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery)

But there are other examples in the Bible which are not so readily relegated to mere figures of speech. However, there is a problem even with these in that there is often ambiguity as to whether the movement from one place to another occurred in earthly reality or expresses a movement taking place within the spiritual realm in the form of visions given to people.

Genesis 5:24-26 – Genesis 5:24-26 is quoted by the author of Hebrews in 11:5-6. Ellingworth comments as follows on this account: “The absence of any indication of the point of departure or arrival of Enoch's 'removal,' together with the use of the noun metathesis later in the verse, implies removal by God (as stated in Gn. 5:24) from earth to heaven. As usual, and in contrast with [the apocryphal book] I Enoch, the author is not interested in the details of the 'removal' but in its significance as indirect evidence for Enoch's faith.”

And Tiedtke says, “Enoch, because of his life pleasing to “God, was taken directly into God's presence without first going to Sheol. The manner in which this happened is not mentioned.”

However this removal was accomplished, we can certainly begin our list of supernatural movements with this event.

Numbers 22:28 – Then there is the case of the prophet Balaam, which forms the subject of several chapters in the book of Numbers. In interpreting this story, much depends on whether one takes it as an historical account, a fable, or a parody. Assuming that the first option is the safest to take, it at first appears that Balaam in his journey is taking one of the most mundane means of transportation – riding on a donkey. But we soon see that even this jackass is much more attune to spiritual realities than the jackass riding on him. And when this animal speaks up to protest Balaam's treatment of him, we know that there is something quite special about this form of transportation.

Stubbs comments on the underlying meaning of this episode: “Balak's unsuccessful attempt to control Balaam, and Balaam's unsuccessful attempt to control his donkey, parody their lack of control over forces that are larger than they realize...the three times that Balaam's intentions are hindered by the angel correspond to the three times that Balak's intentions are hindered by Balaam's blessings.”

Ashley draws another message from the account in that “the angel was not there to prevent him from going but rather to make sure he understood that without Yahweh's inspiration he could not hope to see (i.e. perceive) anything. With Yahweh's inspiration even a donkey is more perceptive than a professional seer.”

I Kings 18:45-46 demonstrates that even the most humble method of transportation – by foot – can be invested with the supernatural. After the battle of the gods at Mt. Carmel, Elijah ran ahead of Ahab's chariot for the 17 miles to Jezreel. Cogan says, “Divine possession invigorated Elijah and gave him the strength to run all the way to Jezreel...Elijah took up the role of one of Ahab's outrunners (see...1:5), showing the respect due him as king after the victory over Baal and his worshipers...”

LaSor says that “it is clear that Elijah was able to do this because the hand of the Lord was on him, in other words, he was granted supernatural power and stamina.”

II Kings 2:11 – At the end of Elijah's earthly career, a chariot of fire appears in the sky. LaSor points out a detail that I had missed every time I had read this story. He notes “that it is not stated that Elijah was taken up in the chariot of fire. The chariot of fire separated Elijah and Elisha, and 'Elijah went up by a whirlwind.' Not everyone was able to see the fiery chariot (cf. 6:17). Joash saw it on the occasion of Elisha's death (13:14).” The basis of the old spiritual “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” alludes to Elijah's ascension into heaven.

Mead adds, “The prophet's sudden entrance on and exit from the scene of Israelite history form a frame around the intervening stories (1 Kings 17:1; 2 Kings 2:11).”

Interestingly, back in I Kings 18:12 Ahab's servant Obadiah (not to be confused with the prophet) is sent to find Elijah, but when he does he is afraid to tell Ahab because he fears “the spirit of the LORD” will snatch Elijah away and he will get into trouble with the king. Elijah assures him that he will not go away.

Ezekiel 1 – There are two types of transportation in this book that bear discussion. The first (seen in this chapter and in Chapter 10) involves what is apparently God's own mode of moving from place to place, what is usually called His throne-chariot. As Block points out, “It is difficult to visualize what Ezekiel saw...Whatever the case, the prophet seems to envision some sort of four-wheeled chariot. The continuing interest in the number four speaks of their absolute ability to move everywhere, in all directions, without resistance. Freely and effortlessly the wheels keep pace with the four creatures...the wheels seem to have their own source of vitality...'for the spirit of life is in the wheels' in vv. 20-21...It was this animating spirit that also determined the direction and freedom of movement of the heavenly vehicle.”

Greenberg adds, “Changing of direction was therefore effortless; all directions were 'straight ahead'...An aspect of omnipotence is symbolized here, and it must not be pressed to mean that the creatures could move only at right angles, not diagonally.”

And as to the emphasis on the number four in this vision, Greenberg notes, “It symbolizes the divine capacity to control the whole world – to see all, to be everywhere effortlessly.” Thus, we could say that it stands for, respectively, God's omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. And these characteristics are even emphasized in the properties of the four living creatures which are associated with this chariot.

Then throughout the rest of the book we have those occasions in which Ezekiel is lifted up and taken to various locations to be shown visions. These occur in 3:12-14; 11:24; 37:1; 40:1-2; and 41:1.

Greenberg's comments on Ezekiel 1:3 suffice to discuss these occasions: “God's hand is a manifestation of his power (Exod 9:3; Deut 2:15; I Sam 5:9; Isa 41:20). When it lights upon a prophet he may be charged with uncanny strength (I Kings 18:46, Elijah), or with that supreme tension outwardly manifest as a trance brought on by consciousness of being addressed by God (II Kings 2:15, Elisha)...Ezekiel uses the phrase in the latter sense, but in connection with some sensory or physical effect other than mere audition: here the vision of ch. 1 and the extraordinary sensory experience of chs. 2-3. Elsewhere the hand controls his movement (3:22), detaches him from his surroundings and transports him in spirit to faraway places...”

Ezekiel 8:3 – But this is one of those occasions which demands a little extra discussion due to the mode of transportation and the great distance traveled by the prophet. Blenkinsopp labels this as “soul travel,” i.e. “the sensation of the conscious self leaving the body behind and being transported to another place.”

Block says, “In this experience Ezekiel is unique among Israel's classical prophets. The nearest analogues are provided by Elijah, who was carried about by the Spirit (1 K. 18:12; 2 K. 2:1-12,16-18), and Elisha, who possessed remarkable extrasensory powers (2 K. 5:26; 6:17,32-33). However, neither the physical transportation of the former nor the psychic activity of the latter is of the same order as Ezekiel's experience...If the ruah [spirit, wind] actually transports Ezekiel, then the word could be translated 'wind,' as in 3:14. However, since the ruah seems to be causing him merely to levitate between heaven and earth, it should be interpreted as the divine Spirit. Whether the prophet's visitors actually witnessed the levitation one may only speculate. By means of supernatural visions he is transported across the Arabian desert to Jerusalem, where he is deposited within the temple compound.”

Greenberg adds: “Note that the fiery figure reaches out and seizes Ezekiel, but it is the wind that transports him to Jerusalem. It is not said that the human figure accompanied him; in fact nothing is said of the location of the figure during the journey.”

Jonah – Much like the story of Balaam, the adventures of this wayward prophet have been understood as an historical account, a parable, or a parody. And there is much to be said for each of these approaches, but certainly one should not eliminate the literal understanding strictly on the argument that a person is incapable of living inside a whale. Number one – it never says “whale” in the account, and secondly, obviously if God created the whole universe, He certainly can create a fish capable of sustaining a person for a limited amount of time. And there is always the possibility, mentioned by some commentators, that Jonah actually died when in the fish and was resurrected when he was vomited out of it.

In any case, as Allen says, “The fish stands for the amazing grace of Yahweh, which came down to where he was and lifted him to new life.”

Zechariah 5:5-11 – In this seventh vision of the prophet we see a woman in a basket being carried away by two flying women. “Judah becomes purified of and Babylon becomes polluted by a personified figure, 'Wickedness.'” (Mobley)

Zechariah's horses – In Zech. 1:7-11 an angel with four horses reports back to God after patrolling the earth. Then in Zechariah 6:1-8 we are told of four chariots drawn by horses who also go out to patrol the earth. However, “here they go out, not to gather information but, apparently, to initiate God's judgment upon the earth.” (Mobley)

As Boda says, “While the chariot was used for traveling, hunting, parading and warfare, it was the latter that was most common...the horses in 1:8-17 were engaged in a reconnaissance mission, while those in 6:1-8 are engaged in a retributive military campaign.”

This series of two episodes involving heavenly horses for transportation is actually continued in a third passage of the Bible, as you will see from the comments in a companion post.

Bel and the Dragon 1:34-36 – I will also mention in passing this apocryphal addition to the Book of Daniel. In it, the prophet Habakkuk is making a meal in Judaea when an angel of the LORD tells him to take the food to Daniel who is in the lions' den. The angel then picks up the prophet by the hair on his head and “swept him to Babylon with the blast of his breath and put him down above the pit. Then the angel returns Habakkuk home in the same manner. Habakkuk thus becomes the progenitor of the speedy pizza delivery man.

Even one recent Roman Catholic translation, The Jerusalem Bible, notes, “The means of Habakkuk's transportation may have been suggested by Ezekiel 8:3. Greenberg also feels that it is “probably inspired by” this biblical passage.