Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Good Morning 

 

Today's Reading:   Revelation 9:3-12, read Barclay pages 55-57

 

-- one point to make about this scripture/plague -- the first four trumpets were plagues from above -- hail with fire, mountain thrown into the sea,  a falling star, and the dimming of the stars, sun and moon.  Beginning with the fifth trumpet, the plagues begin to come from the earth and below the earth.

 

-- the one note of hope in this section -- the locusts will not harm those who had been sealed by God.  So, it terms of our discussion of the Rapture, and the idea that those who had been sealed would be taken up prior to the trumpets, you can see here that those who have been sealed will be on earth, but spared the pain of the locust/scorpions.  Of course, how popular will Christians be when they are not afflicted with this particular plague?

 

-- again, Barclay says that John took much of his material from the book of the prophet Joel in this section, which to me is a real discounting of John's word that this is a vision, rather than some different thoughts cobbled together from other books and works.

 

-- for some footage of locusts, follow this link http://www.irinnews.org/film/Eighth_Plague.htm, which is about a major locust outbreak in 2004 in Africa.  The name of the report -- the eighth plague -- refers to the plague of locusts that Moses brought down on Egypt.       

 

Today's Scripture 

 

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. 

 

Galatians 6:10 

 

Today's prayer requests:   Saundra Aaron

Valerie's brother's mother-in-law continues to go through treatment for cancer.  Need to remember her and her family in her struggles.

Today's class member prayer:  

 

Megan Douglas  

Jay