Occupy Wall Street and the Bible’s Laodicean Age
Revelation 3:14-22
Occupy Wall Street, which started with a small group of protesters on September 17, 2011, has grown into a worldwide movement. It was inspired by protest movements all over the world, from the Middle East to Europe. Surprisingly, the Bible predicted that the people would rise up in the book of Revelation, written nearly 2000 years ago. Chapters 2 and 3 of the book of Revelation are not only letters written to churches that were in existence during John's day; they were also predictions of different eras that the church would go through as time progressed. We are currently in the Laodicean age, which started in approximately 1900; John addresses the Laodicean church in Revelation 3:14-22. Occupy Wall Street and the other protest movements currently sweeping the world truly embody the definition of "Laodicea", which means "people's rights" or "people judge".
Laodicea, Occupy Wall Street, and "People's Rights"
If we were to take a time machine back to Laodicea in the first century, we would probably find some things to make us feel at home (other than the fact that they didn't have computers or much of the technology that we are used to). The city was known for its banking and financial systems, theaters, and even shopping malls. It even had a stadium with ruins that exist to this day. Perhaps this is why the people were concerned about their rights there.
Today, Occupy Wall Street protesters, along with protesters from all over the world, are once again concerned about their rights. Protesters have a variety of concerns, but one concern that is shared by many is the right to a job that pays a living wage. Some feel that they have the right to a free education, the right to have their student loans forgiven, or the right to not have their homes foreclosed upon. Some of the more radical elements believe that they have the right to some of the profits that the big Wall Street bankers are making.
Why Things Are Different Today
The world has been in the Laodicean age for quite some time. Although you could see sparks of the Laodicean spirit of having rights a little bit earlier than 1900, the majority of the conflict for rights have occurred since the dawn of the 20th century. We can see the people rising up, demanding the right to judge in the Russian Revolution, in the struggle for women's right to vote, in the civil rights movement, and in the 1960s Vietnam protests. While people have been concerned about their rights for some time, it has only been in the past couple of months, or even the last year, that the people's struggle for their "rights" has seemed to reach around the world. Occupy Wall Street-related protests have taken place on six continents (and very few people live on the seventh continent).
Sources:
The Bible. Revelation 2-3.
Laodicea on the Lycus. Wikipedia.com, accessed 22 October 2011.
List of "Occupy" Protest Locations. Wikipedia.com, accessed 22 October 2011.
Sharp, Brian. "Revelation Revival". CD Set, Disk 4.Published by Brooke Lorren
Brooke Lorren is a freelance content producer living in central Arizona; she has been writing for over 10 years and has created over 1000 articles, blog posts, and web sites. She has also helped her husband... View profile
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3 Comments
Post a CommentI think that most of them are trying to do the right thing. They don't think about the consequences of their actions carefully enough, as you say, Michele. In addition to making trouble for ordinary people, if they really get their way and the system collapses, things are going to get worse for all of us, not better. Almost every revolution that starts out like this ends badly.
Not sure if that is what the Bible is speaking about as people have always protested and should protest for their rights. But this article is definitely interesting and brings a new perspective to the movement. Thank you.
The problem I have with these 'Occupy' folks is that they do not take into consideration those innocent folks in their path. We have a friend who was just trying to get home from work to see his wife & kids. The Brooklyn Bridge was closed because the Occupy folks spilled from the walkway onto the roadway. Our friend never made it thru and had to return to NYC and rent a hotel room. You can protest without being a pain to others. cheers ;)