Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Good Morning   

 

Today's Reading:    Revelation 14:9-12 , Barclay 126-128 

--  this is, as Barclay notes, the fierest warning in all of Revelation.  The bottom line -- take the mark of the beast and worship the beast, and your penalty will be the undiluted wrath of God, including torture forever in fire and brimstone in the presence of  the angels and Christ.

-- obviously, this is one of the reasons why everyone wants to know who the beast is, so that they don't inadvertantly take his mark. It is why it is a big deal to some people, because to make a mistake would be catastrophic. My sense is that no one will take the mark of the beast by accident -- you'll know what you are doing, and my sense from some of the other reading in Revelation is that people will do it to survive, to get along, or to get ahead.

-- this is where Barclay's approach to the beast creates more problems for my understanding -- if the beast is the Roman Empire, then the times of the mark of the Beast have come and gone.  In this section, he gives all the reasons why John would provide such a stern warning against the beast, since the Church was in its infancy during this time, and losing followers would have meant the total loss of the Church.  This explanation that Barclay has still has problems for me.  In addition to not really buying into his idea of the timing of the beast, I think his explanation drops out God completely.  I get the sense from his commentary is that John made the penalty for following the beast really harsh because John could see that the church was in danger at this time in its history.  I'd like to think that God made the penalty harsh because worshipping the beast and taking its mark is the most active and specific repudiation of God and Christ, and that the penalty for worshipping the beast would be harsh whether he was in John's time or our time.

 Today's Scripture   

 

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

Ephesians 5:8-10

 

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: 

Susanne Russell   

 

Jay