Thursday, July 13, 2006

Good Morning 

 

Just an early heads up -- we should be finishing this study by the end of the month or so.  Where do we go from here?  Any ideas -- either a suggestion of a specific book or study, or just a general recommendation of a particular kind or type of study would be appreciated. 

 

Note, if you want to see a web site of someone who is desperately trying to predict and understand the future, go to redhat.bravehost.com.  He has got a host of his own predictions, along with a mix of prophesies from Revelation and Nostradamus, all swirling together. 

 

Today's Reading:    Revelation 19:11-21, Barclay 199-207

 

-- finishing up Chapter 19

 

-- the back half of Chapter 19 is about the coming of Christ to battle the beast and his forces to achieve the final victory.  Note that this battle isn't necessarily associated with Armageddon -- it is only mentioned in chapter 16, and it speaks of only an assembling of forces.  The traditional vision of Armageddon really comes from several different verses in different places in Revelation.  There is the mention in Chapter 16 of the place and the assembling of armies; their is another verse that speaks of the Euphrates being dried up so that the kings from the East can come, and there is the verse about the blood being as high as the horses bridles for 180 miles.  Over the years, I've read about Armageddon, and have heard these different points made as if they were all in one place in Revelation -- but they aren't, we are the ones who have filled Armageddon with that meaning.

 

-- that said, there is a final battle between Christ and his heavenly army and the armies of the beast, and Christ's army utterly destroys the beast's army.  In what is a really a brutal image, an angel calls all the birds of the air to come to the site of this great battle, so that they can feast on the remains of the beast's army, and at the end of the passage, it notes that the birds did gorge themselves on the flesh of the slain soldiers.

 

-- this is yet another image that gave pause to the early church about whether to include Revelation at all in the Bible -- this is a Christ that many were not comfortable with -- a warrior Christ, riding into battle, utterly destroying his enemies and giving their bodies to the vultures.  Barclay makes the point that this is the picture of the Messiah that the Jews have always looked for, at least at this time -- a warrior Messiah, come to lead the people to victory.  That is one of the reasons why the Jews rejected Christ -- because he didn't fit their mold of the conquering Messiah.

 

-- As Barclay mentions, the end of Revelation is about God settling accounts.  In chapters 17 and 18, Babylon/Rome, is destroyed and it's destruction is celebrated.  In chapter 19, Christ returns to earth, and he dispatches the beast and the false prophet, sending them to the lake of fire, and destroying all those allied with the beast.  In Chapter 20, we see what Christ has in store for Satan -- the dragon.

 

 

Today's Scripture 

 

 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.  Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil

Ephesians 6:10-11

Today's prayer requests:    Update from Megan 

 

Kayla's biospy went well, she's just a little sore.  They told her that no matter what the results, she needs to have her thyroid removed.  If it's cancerous, they will operate soon because it's best to have surgery during the 2nd trimester when possible.  The doctor indicated that test results would probably come back inconclusive and they would schedule surgery from there. 

 

Also, we need to remember Monica, Joey and the youth who are away on their mission trip in Florida.

Today's class member prayer:   

 

Matt Rocksvold

  

Jay