Tuesday, January 2, 2006

Good Morning!

So, time to start a new year.

To start the year, we are going to start on our study of Revelation.  We will be using William Barclay's Daily Study Bible as our primary reference, with some supplemental materials.  We should have our books for class on Sunday, Fed Ex and Cokesbury willing.

In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to start reading some Revelation, because it is a difficult read, and will probably take a while to get into the rhythm of the writing.

On our web site (leapclass.blogspot.com) there is a link to the Wikipedia entry on the web about the Book of Revelation that is a good starting point, though a little "technical" or "theological" in nature.

For today, let's start by setting the context for the book -- when you tell someone that you are going to be studying Revelation, the first reaction that they will have is probably something like "Hmmm, that's pretty scary."  I think in general, Revelation is seen as a scary book, with a reputation that no other book in the Bible has.  Undoubtedly, that is because of its content -- not just the future, but the talk of wars and tribulation, of the beast and the dragon, of persecution and judgement.

In the preface to Revelation in my study bible, they call Revelation a book of hope, which I took as odd, but it is correct - Revelation is a book about the return of Jesus, his victory over evil, the reward of the faithful and the judgement of the wicked.  That is true, but it seems like that message is lost in the conventional view of the book.  One of the things that I think we should try to understand in our study is how we can get to the point where we see Revelation as a book of hope, rather than one of fear, danger or dread.  Part of that will be how we develop our point of view on the book, but I have a since that most of that will be in how we develop our confidence in our own relationship with Christ.

Today's Scripture

Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription" "The Lord knows those who are his", and "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.".

2 Timothy 2:19

Today's prayer request:      Michelle's friend Jim Bozeman and his family.

 

They were on our prayer list for his mother, who had a turn for the worse right before Christmas.  She passed away very shortly after our last prayer request, and we need to remember that family who is dealing with the loss of a loved one.

 

Today's class member prayer:

Lynn Rocksvold

Have a great year.

Jay