Thursday, February 23, 2006

Good Morning

 

 

Today's Reading:  Revelation 4:1; read pages 162 - 164 in Barclay; stop at "The Throne of God"

 

-- we now move beyond the seven churches to the second part of the revelation.

 

-- in our day and time, because of all of the movies we've seen, it is much easier for us to form an image of what John is seeing here.  A door leading to heaven?  An unseen voice?  We can imagine this because we have seen this kind of thing before, in some movie or TV show.

 

-- to revisit John's situation which we had set up prior to the seven letters, it is likely he has this vision while in his cave on Patmos overlooking the ocean.  If I were doing the movie, it would be a scene where he is in the somewhat dark cave, and then he turns around, and in the wall of the cave is now a door, partially open, with light streaming from it, and a cloudy fog on the other side.

 

-- Barclay doesn't comment on this, but the voice John hears -- presumably Christ's -- says to "come see the events which must follow these things".  To me, that is referencing back to the letters about the churches -- that this revelation will happen after all that is discussed in the letters happens.  If that is the case, then it makes the letters seem less like generic instruction for the church and more about specific instruction for those specific churches in that day and time.  

 

-- In my NIV translation, John is told -- "I will show you what must take place after this" -- which, to me, disconnects the rest of the revelation from the letters to the churches, and simply puts the events John is about to see in the future.

 

Today's Scripture

 

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

 

Romans 8:1-2

 

Today's prayer requests:   Dr. Page

Dr. Page is Ron and Brads' finance teacher at Auburn, who has lymphoma, and is not doing well.  We need to remember him as he struggles with the disease and the treatment.

Today's class member prayer:

Brigitte Severance

Have a great day.

Jay