In Revelation 8.3, John sees a vision of an angel standing upon the altar. The vision is very similar to Amos who saw God standing upon the altar (Amos 9.1). In fact, I would argue that what John is seeing is the fulfillment of Amos’ prophecy. The language is identical, save that Amos has God as the subject whereas John has an angel. Be that as it may, for my purposes I’m interested in what immediately precedes Amos’ vision. He tells us, “Days are coming … when I will send a famine on the land – not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.” (8.11ff). When are those days that are coming? When God stands upon the altar! And when he stands upon the altar, it means that he’s left the Holy of Holies and is on his way out of town, leaving the Israelites to their own evil devices. In fact, not only is he leaving, but he’s destroying the temple down to its very foundations on the way out. It’s judgment language. If Israel wants to pursue other Gods and seek a word from them, then there isn’t any reason for him to stick around and there isn’t any further need for a temple. Prior to this he had sent his prophets to them with his word, but they were ignored. Consequently, there is a famine of his word among his people.
In John’s vision it isn’t God upon the altar. Why? Because he isn’t leaving his heavenly temple. The altar is the place from which his judgement goes out. This was the case in Amos’ vision and so it is here as well. The angel is merely his agent of judgement by casting fire upon the earth. The imagery suggests God is removing his presence from the earth and as he leaves, as was the case with the temple, he’s going to shake it to its very foundations. John is saying that what was good for wicked Israel back in the day, so it is for the dwellers of this earth at the end of this age. And if Amos’ vision is ultimately fulfilled in John’s vision, and Amos’ vision of God’s departure was attended with a famine of his word, then it is reasonable that we should expect the same phenomenon occurring in John’s vision.
Of the many signs signaling that this age is barreling to its end is the fact that there is a famine of God’s word both in the world and in the church. The fact that there is a famine in the world is clear to me in God giving our minds over to depravity. The clearest indicator of this is found in the question, “What is a woman?” which our culture is not able to definitively answer. This is one of the most basic truths built into creation, found expressly stated in the opening chapters of the Bible. If the human mind is unable to comprehend this basic truth, it must be given over to depravity. Paul actually says this in Romans 1.16ff. Without God’s word, men are like brute beasts and blind men groping in the dark. And this is what we are fast becoming precisely because God is removing his word from the public square.
But this famine really began with the church. Evangelicalism was the last vestige where God’s word was central to the Christian faith. But over the years of topical preaching and teaching, coupled with a “keep it simple stupid” mentality, the church’s diet is pablum and milk – sour milk to boot. Every wind of doctrine pushes the church this way and that. Meanwhile our pastors and teachers are focused on church growth and counseling.
I’ve started this web site with the hope that there are still men out there who desire to grow deep in God’s word, who want to sharpen one another on the text of Scripture. What’s needed now more than ever (given the time), is textually driven pastors and teachers of God’s word. If God is going to take away his word, at least let’s go out (eventually through martyrdom?) with a bang!