Have you heard of the boiling frog syndrome? It describes a frog slowly being boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. Some biologists say the premise of the story is not literally true. However, regardless of the behavior of real frogs, the boiling frog story is useful as a metaphor in many ways.
C. S. Lewis warns Christians of the subtlety of the methods used by Satan in seeking to recapture them in his snare in his book The Screwtape Letters. In one letter, senior devil Screwtape advises his nephew Wormwood to avoid anything that would hurry a man he has been tempting to awaken to a sense of his real position. Screwtape explains that the man “must be made to imagine that all the choices which have effected this change of course (carrying him out of his orbit around the Enemy [God]) are trivial and revocable.” He adds that he is almost glad to hear that the man is still a churchgoer since “(a)s long as he retains externally the habits of a Christian he can still be made to think of himself as one who has adopted a few new friends and amusements but whose spiritual state is much the same as it was [before].”[1] Screwtape then concludes his letter as follows: “Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”[2]
Trumpet Visions
Today’s passage, in fact the entire Book of Revelation, is written to awaken the church – particularly awaken sleeping Christians who have grown too comfortable with this world and its values. Today’s passage, the first four trumpet visions, somehow reminds us of the Exodus plagues in the Old Testament.[3] The first trumpet brings hail and fire, mixed blood. The second trumpet sees a great mountain burning with fire… thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea becomes blood. The third trumpet makes a great star fall on the waters, which become wormwood and poisoned water. With the fourth trumpet, the light of the sun, moon, and stars is darkened. Here we see these trumpet judgments patterned after the plagues of Exodus. So then, what was the purpose of the Exodus plagues? The ultimate purpose of the plague signs was that God should be glorified. Through the ten plague signs God punished Egyptian’s false gods and idols, and let them know that God alone is the Lord (cf. Ex. 7:5). In the same way, through the trumpet judgments God strips away false security, earthly security, temporary security, and awakens sleepers – both believers and unbelievers. By this, some of them will be awakened, repent, and come back to God, so that God may gain glory.
The Call to Repentance
So today’s passage is a wakeup call to repentance. Why did God bring his judgment on Egypt over a series of the plagues, rather than just once for all? It was because God was patient and he wanted them to come to repentance (cf. 2 Peter 3:9). At first, there were some who were sitting on the fence. They thought they believed in God, and at the same time, they enjoyed what Egypt was offering. But as God brought his judgment one by one, they had to choose. Either they ought to repent or they ought to harden their hearts. In a similar way, in Revelation God brings a series of the plagues, trials, and tribulations, rather than one big final judgment. Why? Because God is patient and wants all to come to repentance. As Jesus opens each seal, and as the seven angels blow each trumpet, everything becomes crystal clear. And there are only two groups of people left on the earth – either those who are marked with the seal of God, or those who have the mark of the beast. It would become impossible to stay in the gray zone. Either we repent, or we harden our hearts.
The trumpet visions, along with many other visions in Revelation, are not literal, but figurative. We need to remember that the trials and tribulations written in today’s passage are executed throughout various parts of the world at all times. In other words, the trials and tribulations in Revelation happen today. So every time trials come, it’s a wakeup call for us to repent in our own lives. We may not see hail and fire, mixed with blood, but we may see the slow deterioration of mind and body. We may not see a great mountain burning with fire and the sea becomes blood, but we may see the pains of a growing cancer. We may not see a great star fall on the waters, and the waters become wormwood, but we may see ourselves become a burden for our family and friends. We may not see the light of the sun is darkened, but we may see ourselves forgetting recent events and the names of visitors. When we see these trials, it’s time for us to wake up and repent.
Then, what does repent mean? It means to “turn around” – to turn from “my ways” and turn to God wholeheartedly. There is a mime on “turn around”: A man was straining to open one of the three doors in the room where he found himself. He pushed and pulled at the doorknobs, but none of the doors would open. Then he kicked with his feet against the wooden panels of the door, but they didn’t break. Finally, he threw his full weight against the doors, but none of them yielded. It was a ridiculous, yet very hilarious sight, because the man was so concentrated on the three locked doors that he didn’t even notice that the room had no back wall and that he could simply walk out if he would only turn around and look![4] Often we find ourselves so occupied with many things and worry about many things until they wound ourselves. But God stirs up our nest and says, “Turn around, and follow me! Set your heart on my kingdom. I will make you fish for people!”
Nevertheless at Your Word
One day Jesus came, stirred up Peter’s nest and said, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” And Peter said, “Master, I have worked hard all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless at your word I will let down the net.” And this time his nets were so full of fish they began to tear! When Peter saw this, he said, “Leave me, Lord! I am a sinful man!” Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” And as soon as he landed, he left everything and followed Jesus (Luke 5:4-11). This is what repentance looks like. A repentant heart is a childlike heart – a humble, teachable heart. A repentant heart says “YES” to God’s new invitation, new possibilities each morning and follow him with joy and gratitude. So today when we hear God’s voice, when we see God stir up our nests, let us wake up and repent. Let us look at our lives from above. Let us turn around and follow him with singing:
Lord, you have come to the lakeshore----------
Looking neither for wealthy nor wise ones;
You only asked me to follow humbly.
O Lord, with your eyes you have searched me,
And while smiling have spoken my name;
Now my boat’s left on the shoreline behind me;
By your side I will seek other seas.
[1] C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (Harper San Francisco, 1996) 57-8.
[2] Ibid. 60-61.
[3] G. K. Beale, Revelation: A Shorter Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2015), 171.
[4] Henri J. M. Nouwen, Here and Now: Living in the Spirit (The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1994) 60.
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