Thy Strong Word from KFUO Radio

Rev. Waldemar Vinovskis, pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in Macungie, Pennsylvania, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 20. “And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20 re-introduces “the bottomless pit” of the abyss. Unlike chapter 9 where the angel opened it up, this time the angel imprisons Satan there. Confined to the abyss, Satan is no longer free to roam about “the seas” of the Gentiles. With the events of God’s judgment in AD 70, God brought the church back “to life” and positioned her to spread the Gospel all over the world. The 1000 years represents this current church age, even as it continues almost 2000 years later. Throughout Revelation, 1000 is a military symbol, here representing the church militant as Christ conquers the powers of darkness through her. Through the ups and downs, the church is at peace knowing her name is in the book of life and that Christ will win the final victory on the day of “the second resurrection.”

Rev. Chris Matthis, pastor of Epiphany Lutheran Church in Castle Rock, Colorado, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 19. “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.” In Revelation 19, the Lord Jesus descends upon the earth, defeats the beast and the false prophet, and slays His enemies with the sword of His mouth. But how does this logically follow the mixture of lamentation and celebration over the destruction of Jerusalem? In the Old Testament, God used Cyrus of Persia to defeat Babylon and vindicate His people. Isaiah even called Cyrus “Christ.” Likewise here in Revelation, Christ used Vespasian and Titus to defeat the Beast and “Babylon,” vindicating the church from the corrupt high priesthood responsible for the deaths of Christians like James the Just and even the death of Christ Himself. Christ is our true high priest, who intercedes in the true heavenly temple of the true heavenly Jerusalem. We must worship God alone and not any earthly authority.

Rev. Peter Bender, pastor of Peace Lutheran Church in Sussex, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 18. “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins.” Revelation 18 takes a pastoral and catechetical focus on the idolatry of Babylon. “Babylon” does not refer to geography per se, but to the apostate element of Israel, particularly concentrated in Jerusalem. Even when things seem blessed and spiritual, they may be spiritually unclean and idolatrously aligned against God. The church literally relocated, leaving behind the wealth and influence of Jerusalem to be spared from its destruction. Like Daniel or the Christians who were martyred in Jerusalem, it is better to fall with Christ than to stand with the powers of darkness, which will fall “in a single hour.” Ultimately worldly acceptance is a sham, based only on how profitable we might be. God’s love in Christ however is truly unconditional: He loves us no matter the cost.

Rev. John Lukomski, retired LCMS pastor and co-host of Wrestling with the Basics on KFUO Radio, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 17. “The woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.” In Revelation 18, John sees a rich and powerful woman. We might quickly think of Rome, but she is said to commit sexual immorality with the “peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.” She is apostate Jerusalem, called to be faithful to God alone, but in league with Rome as she exerts dominion over the authorities in “the land” of Israel. John’s message is clear: only Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings, and apostate Jerusalem will never prevail. The seven churches of Asia Minor were tempted to go along with the worship of the Roman emperor, but Christ tells them to stand firm and resist. Christ saw us through Nero, and He would see us through Domitian, the papacy, and every oppression until every knee bows at the name of Jesus.

Rev. David Boisclair, pastor of Faith and Bethesda Lutheran Churches in North St. Louis County, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 16. “God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath.” In Revelation 16 seven “bowls” of wrath are poured out in quick succession, reminiscent both of Old Testament drink offerings as well as the figurative cup of wrath which the Lord Jesus drank for us. In terms of history, the first two bowls might symbolize losses on both sides of the First Jewish–Roman War, and the second two might point to judgment meted out on the people of Jerusalem, nobles and common people alike. The last three align with the death of Emperor Nero, the crowning of Vespasian, and the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of Titus. All things are under God’s control, and no amount of earthly power can save from God’s wrath. Only Christ’s blood saves the church. Even in the face of stubborn impenitence, God faithfully cares for His people and works good from evil.

Rev. David Andrus, pastor of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in St. Louis and Not-Alone.net Ministries, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 118. “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.” “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” “This is the day that the LORD has made.” Psalm 118 feels like a Bible verse hall of fame! These verses are so well known because they were memorized as the finale of Psalms 113 through 118 sung during Passover. Israel escaped Egypt, David won countless victories, Israel returned from Babylon, and the church survived when Rome destroyed Jerusalem. God faithfully saves His people amidst chaos, most clearly seen in Jesus Christ on Easter, who fulfilled “I shall not die, but I shall live.” Christ is our Passover and our Temple, resisted and rejected by man, but vindicated by God. In baptism, we are always connected as living stones, shining in the light of the eternal eighth day.

Rev. Michael Morehouse, pastor of Catalina Lutheran Church in Tucson, Arizona, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Psalm 117. The shortest chapter in the entire Bible, the two verses of Psalm 117 are easy to overlook. This psalm however is totally unique and profound. It occurs in the exact middle of our modern 1,189 chapters, with a theme that is right at the heart of Scripture: “all nations” should praise the God of Abraham because of His “steadfast love” for Israel. But why? Whenever God saves His chosen people, He shows that He is the Creator of all peoples. Prefigured in the Exodus through the Red Sea and in the return from the Babylonian Exile, this happened most profoundly in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus on Easter morning, when salvation for One brought salvation for all. “Praise the LORD” or “Alleluia” occurs on both sides of this psalm, serving both as a conclusion as well as an introduction unlike any other. Psalm 117 is best sung, just as our Lord Himself sung Psalm 117 with the disciples as He won for us the ultimate Passover in His body and blood.

Rev. Kevin Martin, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 15. “Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues.” Revelation 15 hits the reset button, restarting the seven-part sequence. Yet, we also find some overlap with and even the conclusion to the previous chapters. The bloodshed that poured out from Jerusalem reached the furthest borders of Israel. Just outside the city, the Roman general Titus meted out God’s wrath. For the church however it was a saving flood. God’s condemnation in the flood of Noah and in the Exodus through the Red Sea are like our baptism into Christ. The sacramental blood and water that flowed from Christ’s side at His crucifixion save us from God’s judgement, and so we too sing “the song of Moses” with all God’s people.

Rev. Nate Ruback, pastor of Grace Chapel in Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 14.

Rev. Nathan Meador, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Wisconsin, joins host Rev. AJ Espinosa to study Revelation 13. “Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.” Does this beast and its mark foretell a dystopian future? History never fails to repeat itself, but the two beasts of Revelation 13 likely refer to the local and global authorities aligned with Satan, persecutors of Christians in the time around AD 70. The number 666 is derived from the Hebrew alphabet, in which letters represented numbers. Here the numbers add up to the same person whose image was minted or “marked” on the coins: Caesar. The corrupt leaders of Judea were puppets of the Roman emperors, who were literally worshiped as divine. Although the world still at times seems aligned against us, the church endures knowing that Christ defeated the ancient persecutors of the church, even as He defeated Satan in His death, resurrection, and ascension.