Friday, June 30, 2006

Good Morning  

 

I've got one more week to be out, but will be back next Sunday. 

 

Don't forget this Sunday, July 2 at 6:30P is the annual church July 4th cookout and fireworks. 

 

Today's Reading:    Revelation 17(all), Barclay 152-156   

 

-- Along the way, Barclay has said that this chapter or that chapter was "one of the most difficult in Revelation".  Well, this time he says it and I believe him.  Chapter 17 is a bear of a chapter, and it is primarily because it seems to be symbolism and a riddle all wrapped together.

 

-- One of the things that my Bible commentary mentions that Barclay's doesn't, but that helps understand the flow of this, is that Chapter 17 describes in greater detail the destruction of Bablyon that is mentioned in Chapter 16:17-21.

 

-- Also interesting is that Barclay doesn't mention, at least in today's reading, what John says -- that an angel "carried him away in the Spirit", which is interesting, in that John was already seeing a vision, and then an angel shows him another vision will in the midst of his current one.  I think he primarily does it to let us know that he had changed locations -- that he was in heaven observing things, and now he went somewhere else. 

 

-- Barclay breaks down this chapter by character, and the first one he breaks down is the woman.  Both Barclay and my Bible commentary see the woman as the Roman empire.  The descriptions by John of her dress, the cup she holds, the fact that she is drunk with the blood of Christian matyrs, all point to Rome -- the excesses of Rome, its persecution of Christians. One of the clearest clues that Rome symbolic of the woman is that Rome has traditionally been described as a city sitting on seven hills, and later in the chapter -- verse 9 -- notes the seven hills upon which the woman sits.

 

-- The only thing that gives me pause to buying into this description/interpretation of "the women = Rome" is that Chapter 17 is supposed to be providing more detail from Chapter 16 account of the final 7 judgments, and I don't think the final judgments have happened.  To me, that means that the woman, etc. has to be someone else -- either some symbolic decendent of Rome, or the Roman empire, or some other similarly corrupting influence on the world.  I think that some Catholic Church haters have portrayed this woman as the Catholic Church (since it headquartered in Rome, and some people have problems with the doctrine of that church).  Some have cast America in the role of the harlot -- a great power whose culture has corrupted the world.  There are problems with each of those lines of thoughts, obviously, but the main thing to remember about the woman is that all the commentaries see her, not as an individual, but much larger organization -- a country, a multinational church or corporation, etc. 

 

-- Again, the main reason I don't buy Barclay's thought she is the Roman Empire is that we are in a part of the Revelation that I don't believe has happened yet, and unless this is referring to some new and improved modern Roman Empire, then I think that the woman has to be someone or somebody else, that is either here or is yet to come.

 

Today's Scripture 

 

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart.

 

Hebrews 4:7

 

Today's prayer requests:    From Michelle:

 

Melanie Tubbs a friend of mine from Tuscaloosa mother to two boys under 5 was scheduled to have her leg amputated above the knee Monday.  the surgery was suddenly canceled when her epidural wore off as she entered the operating room.  This has been a trying week for her and she hopefully will be going home tomorrow to rest up and try to begin this process again with a different surgeon next Wednesday.  Please pray for her strength -physically, emotionally, and spiritually both for her and her family.

Today's class member prayer: 

Elizabeth Barrett     

 

Jay