Let us start with a post that Nick Steves linked to in this week’s list. (You can also thank him for today’s illustrations). Malcolm Pollack correctly notes that the current narrative rejects any sense of objective truth, of morality, or God. Instead the false are raised up as examples.
Eobyn showed me this health promotion ad: it is funny and threatening. For the faux fairy is a creepy clown. But the narrative of this age is the narrative of Babylon.
The transgendered have become holy objects because, unlike those of us who are frozen in a conventional relation between our sex and our gender, and are trapped in the matrix of objective and pre-existing natural categories, the transgendered demonstrate the supremacy, and so the apotheosis, of the subjective.
In a secular religion that denies the metaphysically transcendent, the subjectivity of the individual must become the Divine; the creativity of the individual must be radically enhanced to encompass the world-creating (and world-destroying) power formerly ascribed to God. Transgenderism shows that this is possible. It is therefore of tremendous ideological importance, and so becomes a holy blessing, a special gift.
This is false. There is a God, there is holiness, and there is righteousness. We quote the last verse of today’s passage in funerals. We must not forget the truth in the verses that surround it.
1Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! And with him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who have been redeemed from the earth. 4It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, 5and in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless.
6Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth — to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
8Then another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
9Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, “Those who worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands, 10they will also drink the wine of God”s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
12Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus.
13And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.”
I am not going to speculate about the 144 000. They are drawn from all the tribes of Israel, and God knows what has happened to the line of women descended from Issachar, Ephraim and Manessah. They were scattered, yes, but their sons will be called. They have a great reward. Those of us who love women are not among them: they gave themselves to godly celibacy, and their reward is great.
It is also unwise to speculate on what the mark of the beast is, I’m not sure if it will act as a medium of exchange — we will use plastic or cash still — but instead a postmodern humiliation: we will be required to point deer say horse. I am speculating, but it is more likely to be a mark that says we are part of the loyal narrative, we are converged, and given the desensitization of tattoos and body modification, I expect it to be large, ugly and mandatory.
At that time, we must say that the deer is a deer, and not a horse. Though (as in the Chinese myth) the courtiers are on show trials for speaking the truth and their executions are televised. For there are worse things than to die.
Choosing to be accursed by God is one of them. Do not converge with this bunch of sophists. They will die, and their works will disappear. Those in Christ will see the fruit of their labour.
